AWYERS joined yesterday
the row over a construction
company’s church gift to the
President’s home town, saying his
defence of the alleged bribe is untenable.
The Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN), which called on the Na-

From Bisi Oladele (Ibadan), Eric
Ikhilae and Precious Igbonwelunde

tional Assembly to impeach Dr
Goodluck Jonathan for alleged violation of the Constitution, restated
its stand yesterday. It rejected the
Presidency’s explanation that the

President never solicited for the
“gift” and that the church does not
belong to him or his family.
Gitto Contstruzioni Generalli
Nigeria Ltd. (GCG), an Italian firm,
has said the church renovation is
part of its Social Responsibility.
Besides, the Church of Nigeria

Ogagaoghene criticised the
kind of buses being used by
private schools. He said proprietors should use the FRSC
– specified school bus, which
is safer.
Continued on page 2

Continued on page 2

HE United States and Britain yesterday raised a security alert on Nigeria.
They warned that the country faces a “high risk”
of attack by Boko Haram terrorists during this weekend’s
Easter holiday.
But the Police have put their men on high alert, with
Inspector General Mohammed Abubakar ordering surveillance on all places of worship during the Easter celebrations.

•Ajimobi visits victims
From Bisi Oladele and
Osheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

received so much contract from the
Federal Government.
According to him, should the investigation prove the culpability of
the President, the National Assembly should have the political will to
impeach him.

U.S, UK issue security
alert on Nigeria

Death toll rises to seven
in Ibadan school bus fire
ARENTS
were
weeping yesterday
in Ibadan as the
death toll in Tuesday’s
school bus fire rose to
seven.
They besieged the University College Hospital
(UCH) where 17 pupils are
hospitalised.

(Anglican Communion) defended
Dr Jonathan, saying the President
has done no wrong.
Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), in a
telephone interview with The Nation, said the allegation should be
investigated first, stressing that it
should be ascertained if Gitto has

•IG Abubakar

Continued on page 61

•AGRIC P13 •SPORTS P23 •SOCIETY P25 •BRAND P29 •POLITICS P43

2

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

NEWS
Death toll rises to seven
in Ibadan school bus fire
Continued from page 1

HE Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) has
slammed the PDP and
the Presidency for going
“hysterical and resorting to
the worst form of crudity” in
their separate reactions to its
(ACN’s) call on the National
Assembly to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan for
soliciting and accepting a
church “gift” in contravention of the laws.
“For the avoidance of
doubt, there was nothing exculpatory in the pedestrian
statements issued by the PDP
and the Presidency. Instead
of employing facts - if they
have any - to explain to Nigerians what they felt transpired, they resorted to name
calling
and
endless
ramblings. What an opportunity gone down the drain,’’
the party said in a statement
issued in Abuja yesterday by
its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Mohamed said: “Since the
statements did not deny that
the church in question was
constructed or ‘renovated’ by
a foreign construction firm

Church: ‘call for resignation is satanic’

T

HE Primate of the Church of Nigeria,
Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh has described the
call by the ACN for the impeachment of
President Jonathan over the church building donated to his Otuoke community by
an Italian construction firm, as” Satanic”.
He described the call as capable of causing religious bigotry in the country.
Okoh, who spoke with reporters in Enugu
yesterday through the Southeast Chairman
of the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) and Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, demanded an apology from the ACN and its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed for the call.
Okoh regretted that the ACN, instead of dissipating its energy on burning national issues
in the country, decided to distract the attention
of the president with a call for his impeachment.
The primate said there was nothing wrong
for a contractor who is working in the

taking contracts from the
government and that the
church is situated in the
President’s community, and
since they did not refute the
statement credited to the
President himself that he so-

From Chris Oji, Enugu

President’s home town to build a church in
the community, in fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility.
The head of the Anglican Church in Nigeria explained that the church was built before Jonathan became the president, explaining that the foreign firm only renovated it.
He called on the National Assembly do
disregard the call for the impeachment of
the president, insisting that the call was irrelevant and does not deserve the attention
of the lawmakers.
Okoh assured the president that the Anglican Church was solidly behind him and
advised him not to be distracted.
“The call for the impeachment of the president over the renovation of the church in
his town is satanic and it is capable of causing religious bigotry which we don’t want.
The ACN should apologise and retract the
statement. We call on the National Assembly to disregard the call,” he stated.

licited and received the ‘gift’,
then we are compelled to renew our call on the National
Assembly to urgently launch
impeachment proceedings
against the President.
“While we will not like to

deviate from our well-acknowledged style of dwelling on issues to trade words
with an increasingly confused and an apparently
overwhelmed presidential
Continued on page 61

According to him, the
school bus introduced by the
FRSC has two exit doors
which makes coming and
going out easy for school children.
The FRSC boss also condemned the use of just anybody as driver. He advised
school proprietors to employ
qualified drivers to handle
their school buses.
He also stressed the need
for vehicle owner to always
have fire extinguishers in
their vehicles, saying if the
school bus had fire extinguisher, and the driver was
trained, the situation would
have been prevented.
A bus conveying 21 pupils of Divine Wisdom
Group of Schools caught
fire, burning 13 pupils aged
between five and 11. Three
died in the hospital on
Tuesday; two died yesterday.
Oyo State Governor Abiola
Ajimobi, who confirmed the
death toll after a visit to the
injured at the hospital, ordered the procurement of
medical needs for the injured
pupils.
Parents, guardians and
well-wishers were crying at
the UCH where they massed
at the Accident and Emergency Unit.
While hospital officials confirmed five dead, unofficial
sources said seven kids might
have passed on.
Many parents of the victims, their relatives and
sympathisers were at the hospital, praying for the children’ recovery.
One of the parents, Mr
Oyeleke Oluseye said his
children escaped the incident
by the whiskers.
He said: “I was at the bus
stop, which is just a few
meters away from the spot of
the fire when we got information that the bus had caught

fire. I know the children that
were involved are in God’s
hand.”
The school was closed
down temporarily by the proprietress, Mrs Oke Ejemuta,
to mourn the deceased and
allow parents gain psychological balance. She announced the closure on
Wednesday.
Ajimobi ordered the immediate release of N6m to buy
of all the equipment needed
to treat the children.
He said the supplier of the
equipment should be escorted to and from Lagos by
security operatives attached
to his office so as to hasten the
arrival of the equipment.
Ajimobi was told by the
Chairman, Medical Advisory
Committee of the hospital,
Dr. Biodun Otegbayo, that
some of the children were in
critical condition and needed
urgent medical attention. He
said the hospital did not have
the equipment to handle the
cases.
The governor, who was
moved by the condition of the
children, said 17 were on admission at the hospital.
Aside the purchase of the
equipment, he also said the
medical bill of the children
would be borne by the government.
Ajimobi commiserated
with the parents and guardians of the children. He said
a thorough investigation
would be carried out on the
school to determine if there
was negligence that led to the
incident.
Said the governor: “We
take this opportunity to
warn school proprietors to
care for the safety of our children; safety is very paramount; and we shall be investigating to know what
has happened and where we
believe that there was negligence, we will take appropriate sanction.”

Jonathan’s defence of firm’s church gift deepens row
Continued from page 1

“But the Nigeria factor of
dog does not eat dog may
hinder the investigation and
I’m sure that is why the opposition is calling for Mr.
President’s impeachment.
The anti-graft agencies are
empowered by the Constitution to carry out their functions and they should do so
without fear or favour,”
Akintola said, adding:
“The legal structures are
there for such cases but the
National Assembly lacks the
political will to execute them.”
Constitutional lawyer Fred
Agbaje minced no word in calling for the President’s impeachment.
He said: “I share in the
ACN’s anxiety and call for the
impeachment of the President
based on the violations of oath
of office, constitution as well as
provision for Code of Conduct
for Public Officers.”
“The argument put forward
by the President’s spokesman,
Dr Reuben Abati, has further
worsened matters for the
President in the sense that the
so-called denial is half-hearted
and devoid of any iota of
truth.”
He noted that Abati’s argument failed to address the following issues:

“If the President has denied
soliciting for a church gift from
Gitto, why was the church
given to Utuoke and not another village in Bayelsa State?
Was the gift of church not as a
result of the patronage the
company has enjoyed from the
Federal Government?”
“The President should be removed and let the EFCC or
ICPC pick him up because the
allegation is abuse of office,
which amounts to corruption,”
stressed Agbaje.
Rights activist Bamidele
Aturu said there was no doubt
that in a serious society, it is
an impeachable offence for the
President to say he received a
gift from a company.
According to Aturu, the National Assembly lacks the will
to impeach him.
“It constitutes gross misconduct for the President to receive such gifts. The ACN is
right about their call but they
should not limit it to the President. The party should also
look inward even within its
governors and ensure they too
do not breach the Code of Conduct,” Aturu said.
Messrs Norrison Quakers
and Joseph Nwobike (SAN)
expressed divergent opinion
on the issue, Nwobike described the controversy generated by the incident as unnec-

essary.
Quakers argued that though
President Jonathan could not
be faulted on moral ground,
his action could be challenged
on constitutional ground.
Nwobike contended that the
president could not be faulted
because he did not personally
benefit from the gift.
Nwobike said “I do not see
anything wrong in that. The
donation was not made to the
President in person. The renovation work was on a church
building that had been in existence.
“Although it is the
President’s village, it is not to
his personal benefit.
For the President to have
been accused of any wrong
doing, it must be established
that he benefited personally.
“There is no evidence that he
worships in the church alone
or that he worships there every time. He may decide not
to worship in the church at all.
I don’t think it benefits the
President personally.
“This is a place were every
member of the community
worships.
I think it is an issue we
should not waste our time on.
There are ore compelling issues on which the presidency
to be challenged,” Nwobike
said.

According to Quakers,
“there are two ways to it. Constitutionally, one could say it
is wrong. But morally, there is
nothing wrong with the
President’s action.
We have had a precedent.
Former Olusegun Obasanjo
influenced donations to his
personal library project. And
he went away with it.
“So, on that basis, one could
say, morally, it is justifiable for
the President to have accepted
the donation of a church. It
depends on the motive of the
donor. The construction company could say it was part of
its social responsibility efforts.
“But constitutionally, it
could be faulted because one
will query the company’s motive. Was it done to seek the
president’s favour? Does the
company wants some favour
from the government and decided to act this way? Is it intended to sway the president’s
judgment on issues that affect
the company’s interest?
“It is to avoid this that the
Constitution, under the Fifth
Schedule, Part Two precludes
public officers, under the Code
of Conduct for Public Officers
at Section 7 Sub-Paragraph B,
from accepting gifts, loan and
private benefits from government contractors and their
likes.

“So, morally, I will say it is
alright; but constitutionally, it
is wrong,” Quakers said.
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam
David-West asked President
Goodluck Jonathan to tender
his resignation letter over the
church gift presented to him
by an Italian firm which is a
contractor to the Federal Government.
Speaking on the telephone
yesterday, David-West said it
is worse that the president is
insisting that the gift was not
a bribe. He argued that a gift
coming from a major contractor to a government of which
Jonathan is the President is
clearly a bribe, stressing that
attempts to change the nomenclature is an insult to Nigerians.
He said President Jonathan
should resign honourably and
immediately. This company is
a major building contractor
working for the Federal Government after Julius Berger.
For it to have built a church for
him in his village or town is
nothing short of bribe, corruption and abuse of office.
“He has even desecrated the
holy name of God with this
corruption. Why didn’t they
build the church for him when
he was governor of Bayelsa
State? Why didn’t they build

it for him while he was working at the Niger Delta Development
Commission
(NDDC)?
“Before this time, former
governor of Bayelsa State,
Timipre Sylva, had revealed
that another company which
constructed a five star hotel for
Bayelsa State when Jonathan
was the governor, built a mansion for him (Jonatha) in his
home town,. If we put all these
together, Jonathan has demonstrated that he is corrupt both
at the state and at federal
level.”
The former minister gave the
example of how he faced a
military tribunal on a trumped
up charge of accepting a wrist
watch and coffee from a firm
while he was Minister under
Military President Ibrahim
Babangida.
According to him, he was
summoned for the charge four
years and eight months after
he left office. David-West recalled that he spent over nine
months in prison before the
Supreme Court discharged
him, saying he did not commit
the offence.
“So, Jonathan must resign
immediately. What happened
is pure corruption. There
should be no double standards
in fighting corruption,” he
said.

How the World
Attention has been swirling
around economist Ngozi OkonjoIweala, Nigeria’s finance minister,
as one of three candidates for leading the World Bank

P

•From left: Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi receiving the Marketing and Innovation Director, Guinness
Nigeria Plc Mr. Ruari Twomey who presented the company’s new product, the Dubic Extra Lager beer, to the
governor at the Government House, Ibadan, Oyo...Wednesday. With them is: Commissioner of Youth and Sports,
Oyo State, Hon. Dapo Lam-Adesina.

•Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria Mr. Chris Cooter, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe
and Ekiti State Commissioner for Integration and Inter-governmental Affairs Mrs Bunmi Dipo-Salami, during
the envoy's visit to the Ewi's palace in Ado-Ekiti ...yesterday

•Minister Of State for Trade and Investment Chief Samuel Orthom (left), receiving the Belgian Ambassador to
Nigeria Dirk Verheyen in his office in Abuja...yesterday
PHOTO: NAN

RESIDENT
Obama’s
announcement in March that
he would be nominating Jim
Yong Kim to lead the World Bank
took many by surprise. A physician
and co-founder of a global health
organization that aids the
developing world, Kim, now the
president of Dartmouth College,
was seen by many to be an inspired
and out-of-the-box choice. For
decades, the post has been filled by
bankers, Washington insiders and
Wall Street titans; Kim would
bring new thinking and fresh
strategies to an institution many
say is in need of change.
But attention has also been
swirling around economist Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian
finance minister, who is one of two
other candidates seeking the job.
This is the first contested election
for the World Bank presidency —
the job has traditionally gone to
whoever gets the nod from the U.S.
president. Okonjo-Iweala has
served twice at the World Bank in
the past, first as an economist, vice

president and corporate secretary
and then, from 2007 to 2011, as the
organization’s managing director
under Robert Zoellick. She is
known for helping Nigeria, once
considered the world’s most
corrupt country, add transparency
and enact reforms that clean up its
finances.
She is also quickly becoming a
favorite among some editorial
boards and economics writers to
get the post. Called a “triple threat”
for her experience in government,
economics and finance, the woman
who once walked her malariastricken three-year-old sister to a
clinic 10 kilometers away to save
her life also knows a thing or two
about public health problems in
the developing world. As The
Economist put it, she is “the best
candidate available,” calling her a
“formidable public economist”
and saying “may the best woman
win.” Reuters’ Felix Salmon was
even more blunt: “Does anybody
at all think Kim’s a better candidate
than Ngozi?”

How Jim Yong Kim could
change the World Bank

J

IM Yong Kim, President
Obama’s surprise pick to lead the
World Bank, will become the
first physician, the first Asian-American and the first person who has devoted his career to helping the poor
to lead the more than 60-year-old
organisation. Since its founding in
1944, 11 men have led the World
Bank, among them a former defence
secretary, the CEOs of major banks
and even the one-time publisher of
The Washington Post. Investment
bankers, former Wall Street titans
and Washington servants figure
prominently in the organisation’s
leadership history.
Kim brings to the post an entirely
different set of experiences and, consequently, surely a different world
view than those who have held it in
the past. Though he has been the
president of Dartmouth since 2009,
Kim, a physician and anthropologist
by training, is perhaps most known
for co-founding the global health
organization Partners in Health with
Paul Farmer. He also has directed the
Department of HIV/AIDS at the
World Health Organisation, where
he led an initiative to treat 3 million
new HIV/AIDs patients with
antiretroviral drugs.
If Kim is selected (Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
has also been nominated), it’s hard
to see how his leadership would not
usher in a sizeable organisational
shift. I’m far from being an expert
on the culture of the World Bank, but
an institution that has been led for
more than 60 years by bankers, politicians and defense experts cannot be
left untouched by the backgrounds
of the people who hail from those
fields. At last, an organisation whose
mission is supposed to be lifting
people out of poverty will have
someone at the helm whose life’s
work has been dedicated toward a
similar goal. As President Obama
said in announcing his selection: “It’s
time for a development professional

to lead the world’s largest development agency.”
Shifting the organisation to line up
with its new leadership will no doubt
be Kim’s biggest challenge. The
World Bank, which has been the subject of many efforts at reform over
the years, is an organization that has
no shortage of critics. They point to
mismanagement and ineffectiveness,
as well as a culture dominated by
bankers and politicians who, in the
words of Columbia University’s Jeffrey Sachs, were part of making the
bank seem “like just a bank” and
“who lack the expertise to fulfill the
institution’s unique mandate.”
To carry out this shift, Kim will
need to bring on more senior people
who share his expertise. (Sachs might
still be interested!) At the same time,
to combat any questions about his
own background that will inevitably rise, given how different it is
from that of past leaders, he will need
to do plenty of outreach to the bankers and economists both inside and
outside the organisation, getting
them onboard with his vision for the
institution.
And he will need to carefully outline the priorities of the organisation,
making sure that incentives and opportunities to advance are in step
with those goals. As with any leader
managing change, one of his biggest
challenges will be shifting the minds
of people, not the work or goals of
the organization.
As Kim said in a video interview
with On Leadership, great leaders
know how to make tough decisions,
inspire others and take responsibility for bringing people together.
They know when to keep quiet, and
how to take an organisation “to a
place that’s better than it was before.”
But they also know what may be the
hardest jobs of any leader—how to
carefully break long-standing traditions and cultural norms, and how
to shift the mindsets of the people
who work for them.
•Culled From Washington Post

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

5

NEWS

Bank could benefit from Okonjo-Iweala
‘
‘
Jim Yong Kim could
very well do a
wonderful job
leading the World
Bank. He is
thoughtful about the
challenges of
leadership . But in
Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the World
Bank gets both: a
veteran of the
institution who is also
an outsider

Knowing how a
place works —
what motivates
people, what
kind of internal
politics are at
play, what has
been tried in the
past and doesn’t
work — is much
of the battle of
leading an
organisation.

‘

Another key advantage, it
shouldn’t be forgotten, is that she’s
something of an insider. After
working two stints at the World
Bank in the past, she knows her way
around the bureaucracy and will
know how to drive the people there

•Okonjo-Iweala

to make the World Bank faster,
more nimble and more responsive
to the needs of developing
countries. As she told The New
York Times’ Annie Lowery, “I’d
look to do things in days and weeks
rather than months and years, and

I have the bureaucratic knowledge,
the knowledge of the institution,
to make that happen.”
This is no small upside. Knowing
how a place works — what
motivates people, what kind of
internal politics are at play, what

‘

has been tried in the past and
doesn’t work — is much of the
battle of leading an organisation.
As Salmon writes, “Okonjo-Iweala
is in many ways the ‘establishment
choice’ for the job. But … when
you’re talking about a massive

bureaucracy like the World Bank,
only an establishmentarian has a
chance of being able to steer it,
rather than simply being steered
by it or completely marginalised.”
We seem to have blind faith in
the power of the outside thinker
and the anti-establishment figure
to bring about change. From
consultants who’ve never managed
a balance sheet to presidential
candidates who’ve never held
public office, we have a fascination
with the belief that fresh thinking
can solve any problem. But while
leaders can bring in all the new
ideas in the world, if they don’t
have the knowledge of an
institution’s inner workings, it can
take so much time to enact change
that they lose the patience of the
people waiting for it. All too often,
they’re out of a job before those
new ideas and fresh approaches
have a chance to take hold and gain
momentum.
Jim Yong Kim could very well
do a wonderful job leading the
World Bank. He is thoughtful about
the challenges of leadership and his
nod could very well usher in
change that no traditional banker
who’s held the post in the past ever
could. But in Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
the World Bank gets both: a
veteran of the institution who is
also an outsider — this is no Wall
Street banker, after all — with deep
and successful experience in the
developing world.
•Culled from Washington Post

What do Nigerians think of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala?

A

S the World Bank prepares
to select its next president,
the candidacy of Nigerian finance minister Ngozi OkonjoIweala has many Nigerians calling
on the US to step aside, and let Africa lead. Okonjo-Iweala is the most
qualified candidate for the job, say
Nigerian commentators and economic analysts, despite her role in a
controversial fuel-subsidy cut earlier this year, and a fair, transparent
selection process should result in her
appointment.”It would be a great
concession from the Western world
toward recognizing emerging
economies,” Bismark Rewane, the
CEO of Nigerian economic consultants Financial Derivatives Company, told GlobalPost.
In the 68 years since the bank’s
founding, the US has always nominated an American candidate to lead
it and the shareholders have always
appointed that candidate.
In recent years, this has led to
complaints that the US has too great
a say in an organization whose primary beneficiaries are developing
countries.
This year the debate has intensified around the candidacy of OkonjoIweala, a former World Bank managing director, who was nominated
for the bank’s top seat last month,
along with Colombia’s former finance minister, José Antonio
Ocampo.
Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment
could give a much needed boost to
Africa’s most populous country and
largest oil exporter, said Rewane.
Nigeria has seen mass protests and
hundreds killed by Islamist militants already this year. In January,
Nigerians took to the streets, demanding the re-instatement of the
canceled fuel subsidy after gas prices
skyrocketed.
Economists generally hailed the
cancelation, saying the subsidy institutionalized corruption and
stunted development. But after the
widespread strikes threatened the
nation’s economy, the subsidy was
partially reinstated. Rewane said the
public’s anger was fueled by the be-

As the Nigerian finance minister vies for the World Bank presidency, locals weigh in on a tempest she sparked back home.

•Zoellick
lief that officials were not acting in
the interest of the people.
“The reason we had a strike in
January is because [government]
credibility has been eroded very
badly,” Rewane said. “You can’t ask
people to make sacrifices if they
don’t trust you.”
In the aftermath of the subsidy
cut, Okonjo-Iweala “almost became
Nigeria’s least admired public servant,” according to an editorial in
Nigeria’s Vanguard. The controversy, however, does not distract
from her accomplishments, according to author Rotimi Fasan, who

•Jim yong
also called for her appointment.
“It would be a big minus for the
World Bank if America has her way
again,” Fasan writes. “Dr. OkonjoIweala is eminently qualified, her
experience is more relevant to the
office and her long insider position
in the World Bank makes her the better candidate.”
Other local commentators are more
enthusiastic in their support, calling
the minister, “Africa’s bride and
pride.”
“All is set as Africa and Africans
eagerly wait to have an African, for
the first time in the history of the

World Bank chosen as its president,”
reads an editorial in the Nigerian
Tribune.
Originally nominated by South
Africa, Nigeria and Angola, OkonjoIweala later won endorsements from
the African Union, regional governing bodies, the Nigerian presidency,
and news organizations across the
continent. As Okonjo-Iweala’s bid
gains momentum, the World Bank is
under increasing pressure to seriously consider her candidacy.
The World Bank was urged to be
seen “standing on the right side of
history,” by women’s rights group

Graca Machel Trust, in a statement
released Wednesday. Other African
aid organisations, human rights
groups, business associations and
regional leaders have voiced their
support for Okonjo-Iweala.
Leading Western news organizations like The Guardian and The
Economist have also endorsed
Okonjo-Iweala. The Economist
called on the World Bank to take its
own advice by rejecting “cronyism
and fill each important job with the
best candidate available.
“In appointing its next president,
the bank’s board should reject the
nominee of its most influential shareholder, America, and pick Nigeria’s
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,” wrote The
Economist.
But many Americans say the
groundswell for the Nigerian is unrealistic.
World Bank President Robert
Zoellick, speaking in India last
week, said the bank must consider
the consequences of excluding
Americans from leadership roles in
international organisations. He said
the tradition of appointing Americans to the bank’s top position helps
maintain US support.
“I often have to fight against those
in the United States that want to
move away from these institutions,”
Zoellick told reporters on March 30,
according to a World Bank transcript. “So, therefore, I believe it’s
important for the US to have some
people that are in leadership roles
in some of the institutions. Now, that
may or may not be the bank.”
US President Barack Obama last
month nominated Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim to fill
the post. Japanese Finance Minister
Jun Azumi said he supports the
former World Health Organization
HIV/AIDS director.
“He is a highly competent individual who spearheaded efforts and
contributed to AIDS issues,” Azumi
said in Tokyo, according to
Bloomberg News. “We judge he’s
an appropriate candidate for the
World Bank.”
•Culled from Global Post

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

6

NEWS

Governors propose 42% for states in revenue sharing formula

S

TATES yesterday intensified their push
for more cash from
the Federation Account.
Governors raised a committee to strengthen their
demand for 42 per cent of the
Federation Account revenue.
This will mean a drastic reduction of the Federal Government’s share.
The governors adopted
wholesale the Babatunde
Fashola Committee’s proposal – Federal Government
(35 per cent); states (42 per
cent) and local governments
(23 per cent).
The current revenue formula gives the Federal Government 52 per cent, states
26.72 per cent and local governments 20.60 per cent.
The governors ratified the

From Vincent Ikuomola,
Abuja

proposal at a meeting of the
Nigerian Governors Forum
(NGF) in Abuja on Wednesday night.
The communiqué of the
meeting, signed by NGF
chair Governor Rotimi
Ameachi of Rivers State,
reads: “The Forum deliberated extensively on the continuing unconstitutional deductions by the Federal
Government from the Federation Account in the name
of oil subsidy which negates
the principles of federalism
and budgetary provisions.
It noted that despite the increase in pump price of petrol, the quantum of subsidy
deduction is still worrisome. The Forum, accord-

ingly constituted a Committee to meet with Mr. President.
“Following briefing by the
National Security Adviser, the
Forum reiterated the need for
closer cooperation between
the States and Federal Government in addressing security challenges, noting also
the necessity for increased
empowerment of the State
Governors to perform their
role as Chief Security Officers
in their respective States;
“The Forum considered the
current revenue allocation
formula of the country and
reiterated its commitment to
its earlier report that proposed, among others, the following revenue allocation
formula: Federal 35%, State
42%, & Local Government

23%;
“Noting the urgency of
the need to completely
eradicate polio from Nigeria, which remains
among the last three polio
endemic countries in the
world along with Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Forum renewed its commitment to a holistic approach
to polio eradication. It specifically agreed that for
maximum effect, Deputy
Governors should take
charge of State Task Force
on polio eradication;
“After listening to a comprehensive presentation on
Tax Matters, with particular
focus on the unique Tax Identification Number, the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2011 and other ac-

tions designed to increase
revenue at the State level by
Mrs Ifueko Omoigui Okauru,
the Executive Chairman of
Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Joint Tax Board
(JTB), the Forum thanked her
and commended Mrs.
Okauru’s exemplary and distinguished service to the nation, wishing her the best in
her future endeavours.”
Already, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)
has written to the governors
and other stakeholders of its
intention to review the revenue formula.
It wants the governors to
justify why the allocation to
the states should be increased.
The RMAFC has raised six
teams to do field work be-

UK Foreign Sec
decries religious
intolerance

New boss
for FIRS
From Nduka Chiejina,
Abuja

From Gbenga
Omokhunu, Abuja

MS Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru
yesterday stepped down as
chairman of the Federal
Inland Revenue Service
(FIRS).
She was in office for seven
years and 11 months.
Her tenure will expire on
Monday.
President Goodluck
Jonathan yesterday appointed Mr. Kabir Manhi, as
acting chairman.
Manhi, until the appointment was the Co-ordinator/
Director of the Support
Service Group of the FIRS.
Ms Omoigui-Okauru
addressed the staff of the
FIRS to inform them of her
exit after returning from an
assignment at the Presidential Villa where the new Tax
regime was launched by the
President.

Church to
honour heroes
ST. PAUL’s Church, OdodeIdanre in the Akure Diocese
of the Anglican Communion
of Nigeria, will hold a
special ceremony in honour
of Pa Daniel Akinseye
Olamiti and past servants of
God said to have made
sacrifices for the church since
its inception over a century
ago.
A special service for this
honour is to be held at St
Paul’s Church Odo-Ode
Idanre on Saturday April 28
2012 at 11.am.
Those to be honoured by
the Church include, Clergies
and Catechists who indeed,
laid the foundation of the
Church beginning from last
century, just as the special
ceremony had been designed
as a means of reviving the
Church and raising its level
of spirituality.
Pa Olamiti was the first
catechist that shepherded
Christians from the hills of
Oke Idanre to the present
city of Odode-Idanre.
Pa Olamiti, the church said,
made immense contributions
to the progress and
development of the church as
a Catechist between 1942 and
1948.
The Committee added,
“God had use Pa Olamiti to
consolidate the faith of his
adherents on the solid
foundation laid by the early
converts. He was known to
be a great teacher of the
Bible and inspirational
leader of worship”

tween April 20 and May 20
and also consult widely. The
RMAFC is the body empowered by the Constitution to
review the revenue allocation
formula.
Its authority is derived
from Section 162 (2) of the
Constitution, which states:
“The President upon the
receipt of advice from the
RMAFC shall table before
the National Assembly proposals for revenue allocation
from the Federation Account
and in determining the formula, the National Assembly shall take into account,
the allocation principles especially those of population,
equality of states, internal
revenue generation, land
mass, terrain as well as population density.”

EMBERS of Dynamic
Circle
Okeagbo in Ondo
State have showered encomiums on former Lagos State
governor, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, on his 60th birthday.
They described the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Natiional Leader as an icon
and achiever par excellence.
In a statement, the socialites
noted that Tinubu’s efforts
and contributions to the enthronement of democracy in
Nigeria “cannot be quantified”.
The statement reads: “We
members of Dynamic Circle
of Okeagbo Akoko, Ondo
State, join the good people
of Nigeria and the Yoruba
race in particular to congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu on
his 60th year on earth.
“To the members of Dynamic Circle and the majority of Okeagbo youths, who
we represent, Tinubu is an
icon and an achiever par excellence; his style of leadership is worthy of emulation.
Through relentless service to
the development of mankind and humanity, he has
touched the lives of many
people in positive ways.
“As a visionary leader,
who is full of passion for the
emancipation of the com-

By Olamilekan Andu

mon man, he has been able
to build round himself
scores of successful elites
who are ready to take up the
mantle of leadership. This is
seen as a major attribute of a
great leader, which Tinubu
is.
“Tinubu’s efforts and contributions towards the
emergence of democracy in
Nigeria cannot be quantified. This dates back to his
days as a Senator during the
aborted Third Republic under the military regime of
General Ibrahim Babangida
(rtd). Then, the events that
followed forced Tinubu into
exile in Europe and
America, where himself and
other patriotic Nigerians

played prominent roles in
the formation and finance of
the dreaded National
Democratic
Coalition
(NADECO), a major opposition group that launched
international campaign
against the despotic regime
of the late General Sanni
Abacha, to a halt.
“Again, the achievements
of Asiwaju Tinubu as executive governor of Lagos State
has remain a reference point.
As governor, he demonstrated his passion for democracy, rule of law and
equality of all before the law.
Even in the face of frustration and threat to his life,
when former President
Olusegun Obasanjo withheld the state’s federal allo-

cation, Tinubu took the battle to the Supreme Court and
the apex court ruled that it
was unlawful to withhold
Lagos State’s fund.
“Tinubu’s achievements
and records as Governor of
Lagos State provided the leverage for the success recorded by his successor, the
energetic
Governor
Babatunde Fashola (SAN).
“Therefore, as we celebrate
Asiwaju Tinubu at 60, the
Dynamic Circle, as a social
group within Akoko Division in Ondo State, is using
this medium to make a passionate appeal to our great
leader not to relent in his effort until the best is achieved
for the Yoruba race and the
people of Nigeria...”

UN: Nigeria, US, three others to lead city growth

N

IGERIA, India, China, Indonesia and
the United States will lead the world’s
growth in urban populations in the
next four decades. This will lead to challenges
in the provision of jobs, housing, energy and
infrastructure, the United Nations said yesterday.
Ahead of its sustainability summit in Rio,
Brazil, in June, the world body released new
forecasts for urban populations in a bid to
urge global leaders to come up with concrete
plans at the conference in Brazil to produce
sustainable cities.
Nigeria’s cities are expected to add 200 mil-

lion people by 2050, more than doubling
the country’s current population; India’s
cities are to add 497 million, increasing the
current total population by more than 40
per cent; and Indonesia’s cities are set to
add 92 million people, about a 38 per cent
increase in its total population, according
to the UN’s 2011 Revision of the World
Urbanization Prospects.
U.S. cities are forecast to add 103 million
people, raising the country’s population by
a third, while China is due to boost its total
population by a quarter, with an increase
of 341 million in its cities.

RITISH Foreign Secretary
William
Hague has urged

Christians to use the Easter
to remember those struggling
to regain their right across
the world.
In a statement by the Press
Secretary, British High Commission, Hooman Nouruzi,
he said: “I would like to send
warm wishes to all of those
around the world celebrating
Easter, along with my hope
that it will be a peaceful,
happy and contemplative
time for their families.
“Too many people continue to struggle for religious and other freedoms in
many countries, and we still
see unacceptable examples
of religious intolerance, including against Christians.
During this Easter period, we
remember those still struggling for their rights across
the globe. The effective promotion of human rights remains at the heart of our foreign policy and I am determined we shall remain a
strong voice standing up
against all discrimination on
the basis of religion, faith or
belief.”

Disqualified
students beg
Fayemi

From Leke Akeredolu,

O

Akure

OVER 1,000 external students who
registered but were
disqualified to write this
year’s May/June West Africa Examination Council
(WAEC) in Ekiti State yesterday urged Governor
Kayode Fayemi to give
them a chance.
The students, who are indigenes of Ondo and Ekiti
states, were at The Nation
office in Akure, the Ondo
State capital, begging the
governor to review their
case.
They noted that the government’s action, if not reversed, might jeopardise
their future.
The Ekiti State Government, through its Ministry
of Education, announced the
disqualification of some students from participating in
the examination because of
some alleged irregularities
in their registration.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

7

CITYBEATS
NULGE
pickets
WAEC

08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com

Govt to arrest
stray animals
By Daniel Essiet

•Demands N1b
compensation for
dead colleague

A

CTIVITIES at the West
Africa
Examinations
Council (WAEC) headquarters in Yaba, Lagos Mainland
were disrupted yesterday, as
members of the Nigerian Union
of Local Government Employees
(NULGE) stormed its national
head office, in protest of the death
of their member inside WAEC's
elevator last Wednesday.
The deceased, Fatai Olalekan
Odeniyi, a 300-level student of the
Lagos State University, reportedly
went to collect his secondary
school certificate at WAEC office
when he fell off the elevator and
died.
Odeniyi, a clerical official at Odi
Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council
Development Area, Ilupeju, had
successfully collected the certificate and was returning to the office when he was called to sign a
document on the 8th floor.
On his way back from the 8th
floor, he decided to use the eleva-

• The protesters... yesterday. Inset: Odeniyi
By Jude Isiguzo

tor which, unknown to him, was
not functional. Immediately he
steeped inside, he fell, landing on
the ground floor, sustaining limb
and head injuries.
The protesters, comprising
workers from 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas and led by their
president, Comrade Ayinde
Akinsanya, bore placards and sang
solidarity songs.
Although the over four-hour
protest was peaceful, policemen

from Sabo, Yaba, were invited apparently to prevent a likely hijack by hoodlums.
The protesters blocked both entrances into WAEC, preventing
the staff from going in, a development that almost resulted in a fracas as WAEC workers attempted
to force their way in. Attempts by
policemen to dislodge the protesters met with stiff resistance as they
refused to leave until they were
attended to.
Part of their request, included
WAEC's automatic employment
for Odeniyi's widow, scholarship

Two remanded
for alleged robbery

Fake Army Colonel nabbed

A

MIDDLE aged man
Olugbemiga Osoba, has
been arrested by officials
of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences
(Enforcement).
Osoba was arrested over an alleged impersonation. He had visited the Alausa office of the
Taskforce, disguised as a Colonel
and sought the consent of the
taskforce
chairman,
Bayo
Sulaiman, to release his friend's
commercial bus seized along
Ikorodu road.
Before his arrest, Osoba, who
hails from Ogun State, was said to
have boasted that he would deal
with the taskforce officials who
impounded the bus.
Osoba was said to have vehemently demanded to see the
taskforce chief and filled a form
indicating that he was a colonel in
the army.

By Miriam Ndikanwu

The taskforce chief, Sulaiman
asked the fake colonel to produce
his identity card and he brought
out an identity card issued to him
as honorary member of the Nigerian Army Officers' Mess Apapa.
Seeing that his game was up, he
prostrated before the task force
chief pleading for mercy, while the
taskforce chairman was said to be
angry and ordered his arrest for
impersonating the military.
Sulaiman said the fake army
colonel would be charged to court
for impersonation to serve as deterrent to others.
Osoba admitted that he was not
an army colonel, saying he lied
and asked for mercy.
"I made a bloody mistake. I am
an honorary member of the army
officers’ mess, Apapa. I knew I lied
and it was to help my friend," he
said.

for his children and N1 billion
compensation.
No compromise was reached between WAEC and the protesters
as no representative of the
deceased’s family was present. Another meeting, according to Comrade Akisanya, has been slated for
April 18.
It was learnt that WAEC engineers, who were arrested over the
incident, had been released.
They regained their freedom
shortly after making statements at
the State Criminal Investigation
Department (SCID), Yaba.

A

•Osoba

According to him, his friend’s
bus was impounded and he had
wanted to help him by posing as a
senior military officer.

N Ebute Metta Magistrates'
Court, Lagos, on Wednesday remanded a teenager,
Omoniyi Ayetoba and Babatunde
Afolayan, 34, in prison over alleged armed robbery. Magistrate
O.O. Olatunji said that the court
would not take the pleas of the accused, pending legal advice from
the Director of Public Prosecutions
(DPP).
The court ordered that the accused be remanded in the Ikoyi
Prisons and adjourned the case to
May 7, to get the DPP's advice on
whether it could hear the case.
Ayetoba,18, and Afolayan, an artisan were charged with armed
robbery.
They were arraigned for allegedly robbing one Elizabeth
Nutiamodo of her valuables,
worth N200,000, at gun point. The
accused are facing a two-count
charge of conspiracy and armed
robbery.

NSCDC shuts down 52 illegal security outfits
HE Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps, Lagos
State Command said 52 illegal security guard companies has
been closed down in the last seven
months.
The organisation warned members of the public and corporate
organisations to be vigilant when
seeking the services of private security companies.
The warning was issued by the
command following the rise in
crime as well as recruitment of
untrained security guards in the
state.
Speaking with reporters yesterday, the Assistant Commandant

T

By Jude Isiguzo

and Head, Department of Private
Guards Company, Mr. Samuel
Fadeyi, said the command had
discovered and raided 50 illegal
companies about six months ago
and another 12 last month across
the state.
He however said that some of
the companies were investigated
and found to be in the process of
completing their registration.
Fadeyi added that the modus operandi of these companies was to
register at the Corporate Affairs
Commissions and on this basis,
deceive unsuspecting corporate

organisations into doing business
with them.
Fadeyi maintained that security
companies ought to have documents of incorporation as well as
licences issued by the Ministry of
the Interior.
He said, "In a renewed offensive
against illegal operators of PGCs
in Lagos, we discovered and
raided 12 illegal companies across
the state fronting as licensed companies within the last one month.
"It was discovered that these
companies register at the CAC
and on the basis of this registration alone, they deceive some corporate entities to engage them for

purpose of guarding their business.
"Out of the 12 companies shut
down, two of them had forged
purported letters of comfort from
NSCDC, authorising them to operate pending issuance of licences."
Fadeyi stated that one of the reasons bank robberies and thefts of
valuables of customers in cabinets designated for their bags was
rampant was because some banks
engaged the services of these
quack security organisations.
Fadeyi added that many of these
quack companies were owned by
ex-servicemen.

THE Commissioner Agriculture
and Cooperatives, Prince
Gbolahan Lawal, has said stray
animals would henceforth be
arrested. He said the government stepped up the campaign
to take strayed animals off the
streets.
Henceforth, Lawal said,
strayed cows, goats and horses
will be impounded by members
of the task force. He said any
animal found straying on the
roads would be put away at the
owners' costs.
Owners of such animals, he
added will forfeit them to the
government.
Lawal said stray animals are
the most visible city management issues today, with emphasis on dogs, horses sheep and
cats. He said the importance of
stray animal campaign cannot
be over-emphasised.
Lawal said the government is
establishing stray animal
campaign across the state to
keep animals away from the
streets and roads. He said an
animal rescue centre will be
established at Lekki where all
stray animals arrested will be
kept and taken care of.
He said the government wants
to foster an environment that
encourages businesses. As a
mega city, Lagos, he said, is
striving to provide more
sophisticated services to spur
entrepreneurship, partnerships,
adding that the menace is not
helping the image of a mega
city.
He hoped residents and
businesses will cooperate with
the government to create a
more supportive environment
by keeping animals off the
roads.

Goldie
becomes UN
Ambassador
By Ahmed Boulor

AWARD-WINNING singer
Susan Harvey, (Goldie), has
been conferred a UN Youth
Ambassador for Peace. The
award was conferred by the
Federal Government.
As a UN Ambassador, Goldie
will be joining hands with other
Ambassadors - home and
abroad - in making the world a
more peaceful place to live in
by getting involved in aidgiving programmes in areas of
unrest. "I will be representing
Nigeria all over the world, in
summits, world conferences,
United Nation’s meetings, I will
also go to places of strife to try
and give aid either by philanthropy, or by mediation," she
said.
Her office will also demand
proper report and relay of
pertinent information on U.N.
activities to the countries'
diplomatic centres around the
world. She is conscious of the
task ahead and is prepared to
use the platform in the best
possible way to put Nigeria in a
good place. "Nigerians are
naturally peaceful people. We
have a few bad eggs though
whose sole aim is to cause
conflict and disintegration.
These few bad factions will
definitely be weeded out in no
time."
Goldie is looking to building
alliances across the world
through this opening.
Her job as an Ambassador
also requires meeting with
delegates from other countries
while on international missions
and building professional
relationships that will ultimately be beneficial to Nigeria.

AGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday inspected drains, road and other ongoing projects in Obalende.
He said the projects would
transform Obalende and improve the quality of life
there.
The governor described
the projects as “a multi-solution intervention on real
property revaluation, regeneration, traffic management
and control, pedestrian and
commuter convenience, security, regeneration of business and night life”.
He said Obalende has a
rich history and used to be
famous for its suya. Fashola
said: “By regenerating the
area, we can bring back visitors to come and experience
the ambience and night life
of Obalende again. If you

look around, many of the
property have lost value,
simply because the place
has become disorganised.
“This is part of what we
are trying to do. This place
will be lit up at night. We
have seen what the Ministry of Environment is doing
about the drainage channels that have been overtaken by development. You can
also see human intervention
conscripting the drainage
channel. These are issues we
will resolve.
“There is a famous hospital around this corner. I do
not know how they have
been faring, having made
that kind of investment
with the degradation that
we have seen here.
“I am sure all of these businesses will come back to life
as soon as the intervention
is completed.”

Stop using pupils as political
agents, activist warns Mimiko

OSOPADEC: EFCC invites Ondo
A
SSG, others
T
HE Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission
(EFCC) yesterday invited
three top officials of the
Ondo State Government for
interrogation over the alleged misappropriation of
funds at the Ondo State Oil
Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), it was learnt.
They are: Secretary to the
State Government (SSG)
Rotimi Adelola; Commissioner for Finance Yele
Ogundipe; and the Accountant-General, Ibukun Alabi.
According to competent
sources, they were allegedly taken to Abuja yesterday
night.
OSOPADEC Chairman

•Accountant-General, Finance
commissioner also for questioning
From Leke Akeredolu,
Akure

Prince Debo Ajimuda was
arrested two weeks ago by
the anti-corruption agency
over an alleged N61.63 billion fraud.
Ajimuda was released on
bail after one week, but
EFCC said it would invite
some state government officials for further investigation.
A source told The Nation
that the three officials were

invited following some information given by
Ajimuda.
EFCC has interrogated
the Accountant of the
House of Assembly, Mr.
Akin Akinnagbe; and the
Clerk, Mr. Jaye Dada, over
the alleged inflation of
some contracts awarded by
the House, led by Speaker
Samuel Ajayi Adesina.
It was reported that
EFCC officials stormed the
Assembly complex at 2pm

on Tuesday and whisked
Akinnagbe and Dada away
to Abuja for interrogation.
The agency’s officials
were said to be acting on
the petitions written to the
commission by a lawyer
and human rights activist,
Morakinyo Ogele, and a
group, Concerned Citizens
for Good Governance
(CCGG).
Both petitions alleged
that the Speaker inflated
some contracts and mismanaged N900 million.
Police spokesman Aremu Adeniran did not deny
or confirm the arrests.
He said EFCC does not
have to notify the police
before executing its duties.

Agency to re-arraign Daniel April 16

T

HE Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission
(EFCC) yesterday said it
would re-arraign former
Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel.
In a statement in Abuja
by its Head of Media and
Publicity, Mr. Wilson
Uwujaren, the commission
said: “The coast is now
clear for the re-arraignment of Daniel, after Justice O. O. Olopade, the
Chief Judge of the Ogun
State High Court, Abeokuta, granted the request of
the EFCC to proffer information against the former
governor.”
The EFCC had, through
its counsel Rotimi Jacobs,

filed an Application for
Leave to proffer an information under Section
340(2) (b) of the criminal
procedure laws of Ogun
State 2006.
The notice, dated March
30, 2012 and signed by the
Chief Judge gave the Federal Government the permission to re-arraign Daniel.
The EFCC quoted the
notice as follows: “I hereby give my consent to the
Federal Government of

tion against the abovenamed accused person.
“The EFCC has sought
the leave of the court to
proffer
information
against Daniel, after Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje
of the Ogun State High
Court dismissed the 43count charge against the
former governor because
the commission purportedly failed to seek the
leave of the court to file the
amended information.
“However, with the consent given by the State
Chief Judge, Daniel will
now be arraigned before

HUMAN rights activist, Morakinyo Ogele,
yesterday warned the
Ondo State Government
against using secondary
school pupils as political
agents.
Ogele was reacting to a programme tagged: “Youth Forum”, which comes up on
Mondays on the State Television.
He alleged that some of
Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s
aides organised primary and
secondary school pupils to
sing the government’s praises
on the programme.
In a statement, Ogele said:
“It is on record that the organisers invited pupils from various secondary and primary
schools, and political appointees told these pupils why the
present administration should
remain in office.
“These pupils have not enjoyed free education and temporary political appointees
should not be allowed to mess
up the future of these innocent
pupils.

From Leke Akeredolu,
Akure

“Let the government follow
the footsteps of Imo State
Governor Rochas Okorocha,
who has made education free
from the primary to tertiary
level. Okorocha is providing
free lunch for pupils and giving them monthly pocket allowance.
“The Ondo State government should start by making
education free and providing
jobs for our idle youths.
“I urge head teachers not to
allow their pupils attend any
political forum. Let them face
their studies.”
The Nation phoned the Chairman of the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation (OSRC)
Board, Chief Ayo Oyisan, to
get his reactions, but he did
not pick his calls.
A top government official,
who preferred anonymity,
urged the public to disregard
Ogele’s statement, adding that
OSRC has not flouted any rule
of the National Broadcasting
Commission (NBC).

Lagos traders demand bridge

T

•Daniel

Justice Mabekoje on April
16 in Abeokuta on a 38count charge bordering on
the abuse of office and
misappropriation of public funds when he was the
governor of the state.”

RADERS at the Ladipo Auto Parts Market
have urged Lagos
State Governor Babatunde Fashola to build a pedestrian
bridge at Toyota Bus Stop on
the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
The newly elected President-General of the Ladipo
Auto Central Executive Committee (LACEC), Mr. Ikechukwu Animalu, made the request
at the weekend during his acceptance speech at the inauguration of the new executive.
He said many people have
been killed at the spot while

NULGE demands N1b compensation for family of colleague killed in WAEC elevator

T

HE National Union
of Local Government
Employees (NULGE)
has demanded N1 billion as
compensation from the West
African Examination Council
(WAEC) to the family of its
member, Mr. AbdulFatia Lekan (44), who was killed in the
organisation’s elevator last
week.
The union also wants
WAEC to employ Lekan’s
widow and grant scholarships to his three children.
The union made these de-

By Jude Isiguzo

mands yesterday, when it
sealed off the premises of
WAEC.
Its members carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “We demand
justice now”; “The soul of
Comrade AbdulFatia Olalekan cries for justice”; “an injury to one is an injury to all”;
“Murdered by WAEC’s criminal negligence”; “Fatai will
not die in vain”; “WAEC officials, you are murders”; and

“Who killed Comrade Lekan?”, among others.
They sang and cried and
showed passers-by and motorists the picture of the late
Lekan.
The late Lekan, who was
an employee of Odi-Olowo/
Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA),
went to WAEC office on
March 28 to pick up his certificate, which he wanted to
present to the Lagos State
University (LASU) Ojo,
where he was a 300 level stu-

dent.
After he finished his business on the eighth floor of
the 12-storey building, it was
gathered that the late Lekan
decided to use the elevator.
But when the elevator’s door
opened minutes later and
Lekan walked out, thinking
he was on the ground floor,
he walked into space.
It was gathered that the elevator was faulty and the box
did not come with it, so Lekan walked into open space
and fell from the eighth floor.

He died immediately.
NULGE President Lasisi
Akinsauya said the union
wrote WAEC, but its management did not respond.
He said: “We are here because one of our members
was gruesomely murdered.
He came here to collect his
result and he decided to use
the elevator. But because it
was faulty, he crashed and
died.
“Since the management
knew it was faulty, why did
they not put a caution sign

there to stop visitors from
using it? We have written
WAEC and made publications, but WAEC has not responded. We are here because want them to know
that it was a human being that
was killed.”
No WAEC official came
out to address the protesters.
Armed policemen from
Sabo Police Station, led by the
Divisional Police Officer,
simply identified as Mr. Aruna, were on ground to maintain law and order.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

9

10

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

11

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

NEWS

EFCC closes case
After devastating rainfall, Ogun
community counts losses against Akingbola
T
HE Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) yesterday closed its argument
in the case of theft of N47.1
billion against the former
Managing Director, Intercontinental Bank Plc at a
Lagos High Court, Ikeja.
Charged along with
Akingbola in the court presided over by Justice
Habeeb Abiru was his associate, Bayo Dada, the General Manager of Tropics Securities Limited.
Akingbola initially had a
29-count charge preferred
against him but was later
reduced to 21 after the
charges that were directly
related to his wife,
Anthonia, were dropped.
During the about 10
months that the trial lasted,
the prosecution called only
two witnesses, the Chief Inspector of Access Bank, Mr
Abdulraheem Jimoh and
one of the team of EFCC
operative that conducted
investigation in the bank,
Mrs Nkechi Ibekaku.
Ibekaku told the court
that the second defendant,
Bayo Dada did not produce
any document to back all
the transfers of money allegedly
made
by
Akingbola, which went into
Tropics Securities Limited
account and some other
companies
in
which
Akingbola and wife,
Anthonia, have interest.
The EFCC operative, who

By Adebisi Onanuga

was being cross examined
by Akingbola’s counsel,
Mr. Deji Sasegbon (SAN),
told the court that as at the
time the transactions were
made, there was no money
in the account of the former
boss of the bank.
Ask for what she knew
about three Skye Bank
cheques which totalled
N2.5 billion issued by
Chartwell Securities Limited, Ibekaku said that their
investigation revealed that
the money was an illegal
transaction.
She said investigation
revealed that the account of
Chartwell was credited
from the account of Intercontinental Bank with CBN
and that the beneficiary
was Akingbola.
Pressed further on the
transaction, “I believed and
still believe that it was Intercontinental Bank money
with CBN that went into
Tropic Finance account.
“The
cheques
of
Chartwell were already issued in favour of Tropics
and anybody could be sent
to deposit it. But we noticed
that the cheques were deposited by a staff of the Intercontinental bank” she
said.
She also told the court
that there was no simultaneous exchange of cheques
to the tune of N2.5billion
that was paid into the Access Bank account of

•Akingbola

Chartwell Securities.
The EFCC operative argued that the difference between the total sum of
$11,797,063.75 mentioned by
prosecution and that of
burea- de- change put at
$11,840,427.00 which was
converted to pound sterling
and transferred to the London account of Furghers Solicitors was not an attempt
to mislead the court on the
transaction.
“The fact is that there is
over $11 million that was
illegally transferred from
the banks dollar”, she said.
Ibekaku also told the
court that no document was
provided during investigation to show that there was
a transaction from which
Akingbola was entitled to
N10million as commission.
The trial judge, Justice
Habeeb Abiru adjourned
the matter to May 21,22,28
and 30 when Akingbola is
expected to open his defence.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

12

BUSINESS
THE NATION

E-mail:- bussiness@thenationonlineng.net

Petrochemicals such as
fertilisers, methanol,
propylene, ethylene, plastic
industry, oil and gas industry
including research and
development and innovation
will be linked as part of
enhancing productivity and
industrial skills development.
-Mr Olusegun Aganga,
Minister of Trade and
Investment

Naira heads for
two-week high

Interbank
rates fall

T

NTERBANK lending
rates fell this week to an
average of 14.41 per cent,
down from 15.33 per cent last
week, as matured treasury
bill funds boosted liquidity
and helped ease pressure on
the cost of borrowing, traders said.
Traders according to
Reuters new said though the
market opened with a negative balance of N42.60 billion ($270.37 million)
yesteday but the repayment
of about N98 billion in matured open market operation
(OMO) bills boosted liquidity.
Rates on short-term borrowing on the interbank had
risen to around 15.5 per cent
for overnight at the close of
market on Wednesday because of large fund withdrawals by the Nigeria National
Petroleum
Corporation
(NNPC).
“The injection of about N 98
billion into the system from
matured OMO bills brought
down cost of borrowing
among banks today,” one
dealer said.
NNPC usually sells dollars to banks on a monthly
basis and recalls a portion
of the naira proceeds to its
account with the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The secured Open Buy
Back fell to 14.25 per cent
from 14.75 per cent last
week, 225 basis points
above the CBN’s 12 per cent
benchmark rate, and 4.25
percentage points above the
Standing Deposit Facility
rate.

HE naira strengthened
against the dollar and
headed for the highest
close in more than two
weeks on a tight supply of
the currency and dollar inflows.
The currency gained 0.1
per cent to N157.55 per dollar on the interbank market
as of 11:10 a.m. in Lagos,
heading for the highest close
since March 21, according to
data compiled by Bloomberg.
The naira has gained 3 per
cent this year.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has kept interest
rates at a record high of 12
per cent this year and sold
$250 million at foreign exchange auctions this week.
“Tight liquidity conditions, real interest rates and
improved market confidence have probably contributed to this trend,”
Samir Gadio, an emerging
markets strategist at Standard Bank Group Ltd. in
London, said in an e-mailed
reply to questions yesterday. “The naira is supported
by consistent foreign exchange oil flows and offshore inflows into Nigerian
treasury bills.”
The yield on Nigeria’s
$500 million of dollar bonds
declined 3 basis points, or
0.03 per cent, to 5.379 per
cent in London. Borrowing
costs on the West African
nation’s naira bonds due
2019 fell two basis points to
15.29 per cent Wednesday,
according to the Financial
Markets Dealers Association (FMDA) website.
Nigeria’s foreign reserves
have risen 8.8 per cent this
year to $35.8 billion as of
April 3, CBN data show. The
nation’s benchmark bonny
light crude has gained 13.7
per cent this year.
Ghana’s cedi fell for a
third day, weakening 0.2 per
cent to 1.7875 per dollar, as
of 10:20 a.m. in Accra, the
capital. The cedi has declined 8.3 per cent this year.

• President Goodluck Jonathan (right),being captured by Tax Data Capturing Machine to signal commencement of the National Tax Identification Number Policy in Abuja ... yesterday. With him is Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru.

Fed Govt launches new tax
policy, ID number
I
N a bid to improve tax
administration in the
country, the Federal
Government has launched a
new tax policy.
Also launched yesterday by
President Goodluck Jonathan
was the nationwide Tax Identification Number (TIN),
which was issued to him.
Vice President Namadi
Sambo and Chairman of the
Governors’ Forum, Governor
Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers
and his colleagues in
Anambra, Ekiti, Kogi, Ogun
and Niger states were also
issue the TIN at the end of
the National Economic
Council (NEC) meeting in
Abuja.
TIN is an electronic database system for the registration and storage of data of
tax payers in Nigeria.
NEC is a statutory body,
which comprises of the 36
states governors, governor
of the Central Bank of Nige-

From Vincent Ikumola,
Abuja

ria (CBN), minister of National Planning, Minister of
Justice, minister of State for
Finance.
Speaking at the inauguration, Jonathan said the new
tax regime marks the culmination of a journey of about
a decade and it is expected
to lay the foundation for the
complete transformation of
the Nigerian tax system.
He noted that the new
policy provides clear principles governing tax administration and revenue collection.
“TIN is a revolutionary
poll of tax administration
and holds immense potential not just for expanding the
nationwide tax base with
consequent increase in rev-

enue collection accruable to
all tiers of government but
it is also a big step in the
modernisation of the Nigerian tax system in line with
global best practices and expectations.
“The idea of national tax
policy first arose from the
report of the presidential
study and a private sector
working group set up in the
year 2002, which examined
the Nigerian tax system and
made recommendations towards entrenching a better
tax policy and improved tax
administration in our dear
country,” he said.
The policy, he added, will
lay the foundation for the
complete transformation of
the Nigerian tax system, sets
parameters for taxation and
other auxiliary matters and

provides clear principles
governing tax administration and revenue collection.
He said the unique nationwide tax identification number is a collaborative project
between federal and state
governments and is a key deliverable under the national
tax policy.
The president also commended state Governors and
the joint tax board for their
collaboration in ensuring
the successful implementation of the tax payer identification number.
Also, the Minister of Finance and Cordinating minister, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala said the new tax
policy is a revolutionary
one that will help curb corruption in the administration of tax in the country.

PHCN workers protest officials’ sack

W

ORKERS of the
Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) headquarters
yesterday trooped out to
protest the sack of their principal officers by the Federal
Government.
The aggrieved staff shut
the entrance to the headquarters
complex
in
Maitama, Abuja. They engaged in prayers and singing in the premises, chanting war and anti-government slogans.
The Minister of Power,
Prof Barth Nnaji, had on
Monday announced the retirement of the Transition
Company of Nigeria’s (TCN)
Managing
Director,
Akinwumi Bada, the Market
Operator, Uzoma Achinaya
and the Executive Director,
Human Resources, PHCN,
Olushoga Muyiwa.
Bada and Achinaya were re-

From John Ofikhenua, Abuja

placed by Shola Akinniranye
and Evarestus Mogbo respectively.
But while speaking with
journalists yesterday , the
Federal
Capital
Territory(FCT) Council
chairman of the National
Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Comrade
Wisdom Nwachukwu, said
sacking the officers was a
bare- faced hypocrisy on
the part of the Federal Government and an attempt to
have their “destinies
pushed to the street.” He
added that the minister’s
action was against the spirit
of on-going negotiations
with the workers.
“A month ago, the minster
went to our national body
in Lagos and resolved that
we should both go to the
status quo and allow the

Hassan Sumonu led committee appointed by the
President to negotiate further. Another round of negotiation was supposed to
hold by the 16th of this
month, but the minister has
gone ahead to sack some of
our principal officers because they did not obey his
instructions not to pay us
our salaries.”
Nwachukwu added that
the minister has instructed
the new people he appointed to transfer the
headquarter staff to PHCN
successor companies. “
That letter has been written as I speak to you and
ready for signing. Some
are being transferred to
offices that have no structure, such as the Electricity Management Services,”
he alleged.
While calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to

review the sack of the three
top officials, he accused the
minister of having a sinister
agenda
in
the
privatisation exercise by
not following due process.
He said, only 616 of the 10,
000 casual workers have
had their employment
regularized, against the
agreement reached with the
government.
“Before you transfer anybody to a successor company, you have to finish everything about the asset and
liability because the successor company will not accept
liability. Discuss the severance package with them and
let everybody who has done
a pensionable job know
what he/she is getting before transferring him/her to
another place. At the end of
the day, it becomes optional
whether to go on transfer on
not,” he stated.

NIPC to release
incentive policy
From Franca Ochigbo, Abuja

T

HE Nigerian Invest
ment Promotion Com
mission (NIPC) will
soon release the document
on specific incentive policy
for the realisation of vision
20:2020.
Arrangements are in top
gear to present the document
to stakeholders in May 2012,
as the Presidential directive
on this policy had been
given since 2007.
The Minister of National
Planning, Dr. Shamusedeen
Usman disclosed these in
Abuja while receiving a copy
of the document from the Executive Secretary of NIPC,
Engr. Mustafa Bello.
He noted that there was
need for good policies that will
advance the economy.
“The role NIPC is playing
is critical to the development
of the economy, especially
the transformation agenda of
the present government, as
we have just presented the
final document to the Economic Management Team
(EMT). This is one of the key
things that will make us to
realise vision 20-2020. It is a
very good initiative.
“NIPC should be given
prominence by the Federal
Government in order to
realise its objective and mandate, Investment Promotion
and Facilitation is key to economic development and job
creation.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

13

AGRO-BUSINESS

Experts canvass pension plan for farmers
A

DON, Dr. Fayeye Rotimi,
has canvassed the implementation of a pension
scheme for farmers to enable them
to enjoy their retirement.
Rotimi, who is of the Department Animal Production, Faculty
of Agriculture, University of
Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, said,
this will enable them to receive
monthly stipends.

Stories by Daniel Essiet,
Agric Correspondent

Many years ago, he said farming was largely peasantry and
planning for retirement for farmers was not easy. “You kept farming until you dropped dead,” he
added.
Today, the quest for children’s
education and the desire to meet
other basic family budgetary

needs after their forced or voluntary retirement from the farm
have become major concern to
farmers. Some developed economies in Europe have long appreciated this need and have developed their farm retirement
schemes.
According to him, the farmers
pension scheme is aimed at
stimulating productivity in the

From left: State Project Co-ordinator,CADP, Mr Bolaji Balogun;Programme Manager, Lagos State Agricultural
Development Authority, Mr Kayode Ashafa and former Assistant General Manager, Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA),
Mr Babatunde Sanni, during a briefing in Lagos.

Don makes case for preservation of original
crops species
C
ASSAVA Adding Value for
Africa (CAVA) Project Manager, Dr. Kolawole Adebayo,
has called on researchers to preserve original species of crops for
posterity.
Speaking with The Nation,
Adebayo said using local crops
and varieties which suit the local
environment is better when breeding for high input as they have inbuilt resistance for pests.
He said new varieties will need
to adapt to less favoured areas and
they could pose a challenge for
producing food with higher nutritional value. For farmers to achieve
good harvests, he said researchers
would require plants that are more
productive, use of nutrients and water more efficiently, have greater
resistance to pests and diseases and
are more tolerant to droughts,
flood, frost and higher temperatures.
He said a range of genetic variation is needed in species to help
them adapt to changing environment.
He explained that genes from
wild relatives have been particularly important in providing resistance to pests and diseases.
According to him, traditional varieties and the wild species of crops
are being lost through genetic erosion.
He said farmers adopt new varieties, and cease growing the old
ones that they have nurtured for
generations and eventually lose the
latter.
He said future crop improvement
needs the genetic variation from
traditional varieties and related
wild species to cope with challenges
in various crops.
At the just-concluded Regional
Consultative workshop on Improving Linkages between Conservation and use of Food Crops in West
Africa in Ghana, Deputy Minister
of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, said
despite strides that research has
made in developing improved variety of crops, it is imperative that
genetic diversity is maintained for
posterity.

He said yam, sorghum, millet and
cowpea are very important as far
as food security is concerned not
only in Ghana but in the sub-region.
He noted that it was for that matter
that the government attaches great
importance to the project.
It is being supported by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a foundation for food security and was attended by 40 participants from
Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Switzerland and Italy.
The ministry, he said, has been
conducting extensive consultations
on policies. It is aimed at environmental mainstreaming. Director of
Crop Services of the Agriculture
Ministry, Mr Asante Krobea, said
food security cannot be achieved
without application of science and
technology, especially now that the
country’s biodiversity of crops is
being threatened with extinction.
This, he said, is due to population
pressure, food production practices,
and commercial land use for mining, timber and climate change,
among other factors.
The conservation of traditional
crop variety such millet, yam, sorghum and cowpea in changing environment is critical to addressing
food security in the sub-region as
these yields depend upon increasing population on daily basis.
He said: “It is the belief of most
people that for the world to feed
the ever- growing population and
in the face of climate change, it is
important to develop innovative
actions that will allow food and
agriculture to use traditional and
new findings to increase productions for consumption and industries.”
One of such ways is to promote
linkages between disciplines and
adoption of genetic policies for our
system.
Senior Science Co-ordinator, the
Global Crop Diversity Trust, Mr
Luigi Guarino, said the body aims
at accelerating the use of conserved
crop diversity in the pilot project
in Ghana, Nigeria and Mali, where

it is working with four crops,
namely cowpea, pearl millet, sorghum and yam.
Through national consultations,
the body engages with experts
from national conservation and
breeding programmes in target
countries to identify bottlenecks in
the use of gene banks and develop
ways to address them.
The Trust said through the stimulation of the flow of conserved genetic diversity down to the “use of
pipeline”, it will help demonstrate
the importance of links between
conservation and use for adopting
agriculture to climate change and
increasing food security.
Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr
Ahmed Baba Salifu, called for
more attention for crop production, especially in the face of climate change.
He said there is the need for the
adoption of innovative strategies
that would allow agriculture to use
traditional and new findings to increase production for consumption
and commercial purposes.

farming sector, adding that it is
being implemented in countries
such as Tanzania and Ghana.
“The Ghana Cocoa Board
(COCOBOD) in 2011 decided on
the first-ever Pension Scheme for
its 800,000 cocoa farmers to ensure that they do not suffer when
they retire.
The project, was a collaborative effort between COCOBOD
and its consultants with input
from the farmers. The aim of the
project was to improve the plight
of cocoa farmers and as well
contribute to the development of
the country.”
Under the project, he said the
government and the board would
make contributions on behalf of
the qualified farmers. Tanzania,
he explained, bought the idea of
a pension scheme for farmers
with 150 cashew nuts growers
in Tandahimba District, Mtwara
Region.
Farmers joined the National
Social Security Fund (NSSF) only
last year. This was because since
2004 when Nigeria started the
contributory pension scheme for
workers in the public and private
sector , farmers were excluded.

He added that this was not fair
for a group, which makes the second largest contribution to the
National Gross Domestic Product
GDP).
Urging the government to borrow
a leave from other African countries,
Rotimi said the farmer’s pension
scheme is part of national
programmes in Europe and Asia
to stimulate productivity in the sector.
“In Ireland for instance, the early
farm retirement scheme is a scheme
co-funded by the European Union
(EU) and the National Exchequer
to encourage farmers aged between
55 and 66 to retire from farming and
transfer/lease their land to a
younger farmer after meeting certain conditions.
Prof. Abel Ogunwale, a lecturer
in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ladoke Akintola
University, Ogbomosho, supports
the idea. He said farmers deserve a
good pension scheme like farmers,
especially a formal pension scheme.
He called for government’s
subsidised contributions to the pension plan to make it attractive to
farmers.

Multi-million naira roads
project to link Lagos farms

T

HE Commercial Agriculture Development Project
(CADP) is to rehabilitate
10 roads in Lagos.
The N800 million deal is being
executed by the World Bank and
the Lagos State government.
It covers 17.40-kilometre roads
and drainages.
The state Project Co-ordinator,
Mr Bolaji Balogun, who disclosed this in Lagos, said there
was the need for future investment on roads to open farms to
markets across the state.
Last year, he said the agency
rehabilitated 10 rural access
roads totalled 22.4 kilometres
worth N640 million. The roads
have improved access for poultry, fish and rice farmers in the
state, he added.
According to him, the infrastructure gap is enormous and
this it is hampering agricultural
growth.
The poor state of transport,
Balogun said, adds what he described as “economic distance”
to agric trade. High transit costs
caused by infrastructure problems, he added, make farmers
lose money.
Since a large per cent of the
population depends on agriculture for their livelihood, Balogun

said the project is taking an approach to spur agricultural development by strengthening market
linkage, and improving infrastructure to facilitate trade.
The agency assists in improving agricultural productivity and
through investments in infrastructure, such as feeder roads,
which are capable of expanding
economic activities.
He said the agency is funding
the improvement of feeder roads
linked to agricultural development across the state. Closing the
infrastructure gap, he noted, is
vital for the future of agriculture.
Describing Lagos as an important agric investment destination,
Balogun said the government is
implementing a plan to drive private investment.
Emphasising that infrastructure make economic growth and
development possible, Balogun
said the project is procuring and
installing power transformers in
farming communities in Lagos
State.
Appraising the performance of
the project, he said it has increased
total production and processing in
rice, poultry and aquaculture by
25 per cent and total sales of agricultural products under the targeted value chains by 30 per cent.

‘Package labelling’ll
boost safety’

H

•Adebayo

EAD of Food and Nutrition, Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr
Salifat Sanni, has called for the
package labelling of some
popular meat and poultry products with key nutrition information.
She said such labelling will
provide
consumers
with
sufficient information to assess
the nutrient content of the
commodity, enabling them to
select meat and poultry products
that fit into a healthy diet that
meets their family or individual
needs.
She said some people eat meat
from chicken breast or steak, and
that information on the package

labels will assist them.
She noted that producers are not
providing information on meat in
the store to give shoppers a clearer
sense of the options available,
thereby allowing them to purchase
items that are most appropriate for
their families’needs.
Enforcing this on the labels, she
said, would help consumers to
make more informed food purchase decisions.
According to her, the label will
list the number of calories and the
grammess of total fat and saturated
fat that a product contains. She
said consumers will be able to compare the calories and fat content
for meat and poultry products in
the stores.

XPERTS have stressed
the need for the development of skills and
practice of organic agriculture
as the panacea to food insecurity.
This was the suggestion at
the just-concluded International Workshop on Curriculum Development for Postgraduate Studies in Organic
Agriculture in West Africa,
organised by the West African Network on Organic Agriculture Research and Training (WANOART), at the Federal University of Agriculture,
Abeokuta.
Delivering a lecture on concepts and misconceptions of Organic Agriculture, the Project
Co-ordinator, Centre for
Agro-ecology and Food Security, Coventry University,
United Kingdom, Prof. Phil
Harris, disclosed that the 2008
United Nations report observed that organic agriculture in developing countries,
had contributed to an increase
in food security, through the
promotion of natural environment, community co-operation and partnerships, as
well as increase in education,
skills and health care.
He pointed out that the practice of organic agriculture
transcended the use of pesticides and inorganic fertiliser,

Stories by Daniel Essiet

but involved positive, sustainable management processes through the recycling
of residual biomass and the
use of biological fixing of atmospheric nitrogen, biological and cultural control of
pest diseases.
The Project Co-ordinator
rejected some misconceptions which described organic agriculture as being
old-fashioned. Rather, he
said “organic agriculture
takes the best form of traditional knowledge and practice, but develops new scientific approaches and specific
technologies.”
He highlighted some benefits of organic agriculture to
include being environmentally-friendly, safe and sustainable, assuring that the
international market for its
products is high.
Speaking on ‘’Promoting
organic monogastric livestock production in Ghana:
prospects and challenges,’’
Prof. Stephen Osei of the University of Animal Science,
Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ghana, decried the
inadequate official attention
given to the development of
organic livestock in Ghana.

According to him, Ghana is a
net importer of meat, milk
and eggs of up to $1billion
with an average intake of 30
eggs per year.
Osei identified factors militating against the development of organic agriculture in
Ghana to include inadequate
knowledge and skills by academic institutions as well as
low level understanding of
the principles and practice of
organic agriculture.
He called for the development of an effective curriculum in organic agriculture
that will help to adequately
train future farmers, teachers,
policy makers, scientists and
researchers.
In his welcome address, the
Vice-Chancellor,
Prof.
Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun,
represented by the Deputy
Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Felix Salako, commended the commitment of
WANOART at bridging skills
gap in organic agriculture in
West Africa, through manpower training.
He noted that the workshop
was “strategic and important
because of the need to proffer
solutions to the intractable
food security challenge ravaging over 300 million population of women and children
in the West Africa sub-re-

gion.” Balogun explained
that “organic agriculture,
which is the current trend in
sustainable and healthy food
production globally is a
unique way of producing,
handling food and fibres in
an environmentally sustainable way, by exploiting the
benefits of ecological cycles
and deliberately excluding
the use of agro-chemicals,
which could be harmful to
human health and the environments now or in the future.”
The vice-chancellor reiterated his university’s interest
in the outcome of the workshop. He assured that its
commitment to organic agriculture remained as strong
as it was in 2004, when it inaugurated the Working
Group on Organic Agriculture, which eventually
brought about the Organic
Agriculture Project in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria
(OAPTIN).
“No effort will be spared in
keeping the vision alive. We
want to continue to take the
lead in breaking new frontiers in learning and research.
We shall continue to collaborate with other institutions in
Africa that are also passionate about food security and
sustainable development,”
he added.

OXFAM praises govt’s policy on direct distribution
still prevailed in the country
XFAM, an internaof input to farmers
becausemany families find it
tional confederation
difficult to afford good food

O

of 15 organisations,
has commended the Federal
Government’s direct delivery of agricultural input to
farmers under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda
(ATA).
The Country Director of
the confederation, Mr Tunde
Ojei, said in Abuja that the
gesture was imperative and
timely given the need for
Nigeria to ensure food security and earning of foreign
exchange through the development of the agricultural
value chain.
OXFAM, founded 1942 in
Oxford, United Kingdom, by
a group of social activists, is
working in over 90 countries
to find lasting solutions to
poverty and related injustice
around the world. In Nigeria,
it is focusing its attention on
livelihoods, agriculture, de-

veloping emergency response and promoting
women’s rights.
It works with small-scale
farmers to help them improve food production, and
sell their food in markets.
They also encourage farmers to form producer groups
together and use their collective voice to lobby decisionmakers for extra support and
resources.
Ojei said the direct delivery of farm input, such as
fertiliser, seeds and herbicides to farmers through the
voucher system, would ensure food security, prompt
delivery and better life for
the farmers.
“I think that part of transformation agenda, in terms
of the issues, such as
fertiliser, the new approach

is a welcome approach in the
sense that no matter how you
subsidise fertiliser, there will
still be middlemen who will
hijack this and increase the
price.
“But the new scheme will
ensure accessibility which is
one of the critical things; accessibility also has impact on
prices; so if this will help to
increase accessibility for farmers, then definitely it will actually help agriculture in Nigeria, ultimately, because our
ultimate aim is to use fertiliser
for what its was meant for and
by those who are actually in
the field doing the work - the
small scale farmers.”
Ojei said there was the need
for the Federal Government to
take drastic steps to ensure
food security in the country.
He observed that hunger

daily.
The director urged the government to work towards
achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs),
one of which, he said, was
eradicating poverty and hunger.
According to him, food security is not restricted to the
availability of food, but included its affordability.
Ojei, therefore, advised the
government to enhance the
incomes of Nigerians to enable them to afford quality
food.
Making a case for rural
women under ATA, Ojei
noted that rural women provide more than 70 per cent of
agricultural labour and produced not less than 90 per cent
of domestic food.

ELTA State is an investment destination
that is increasingly
gaining attention from those
looking for agric business
opportunities.
Rich in resources, specifically, fisheries and agriculture, the economy has been
performing strongly mainly
due to the high demand for
commodities.
‘Agriculture and allied’ industry is divided into several
segments, namely: horticulture and its allied sectors (including fruits and vegetables, flowers, plantation
crops, and medicinal plants);
fisheries sector; animal husbandry and livestock; and
sericulture. The state varied
agro-climatic conditions are
highly favourable for the
growth of many crops.
The force behind commercial agriculture in the state
has been crops such as palm
oil, rice, cassava , lime, sweet
orange, banana, grape, sapota, peppers, tomato, peas
etc. These are framed by both
plantations and small cropfarmers. The state blessed
with rich soil, reliable rainfall and warm climate is ideal
for growing many agricultural commodities. Rich
soils and good rainfall mean
that chemical fertiliser and
intensive farming methods
tend tobe unnecessary.
The state is largely selfsustaining in fresh fruit and
vegetables. Agriculture and
allied sectors are the mainstay of the economy.
They are
important
sources of raw materials and
demand for many industrial
products,
particularly
fertiliser, pesticides, agricultural implements and a variety of consumer goods. The
fisheries sector occupies a
very important place in the
socio-economic development of the state.
It is a big source of employment opportunities for many
people, especially rural population. It has a huge export
potential. The state government has invested adequately
in fisheries due to the natural resources which the state
is blessed with. Fresh fish,
crabs, shrimps and dried fish
abound in almost all the local governments. Opportunities to do business in agriculture are enormous. Specific investment opportunities dwell in coffee, oil palm,
cocoa, coconut/copra and
spice crops.
The government has made
some special incentives for
those
interested
in
agribusiness projects with a
special tax rate of 20 per cent
for agribusiness projects and
other general tax breaks. One
of the recent success stories is
palm oil. Several key investors have developed projects
that have been well suited for
palm oil. Other significant investment opportunities remain in the state, but
agribusiness certainly is a
promising sector for astute
investors. The state government has focused on the production of sufficient food for
the teaming population of
State. The state through the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Natural Resources provides
direct assistance to farmers in
agricultural mechanisation,
tree crop development, agricultural credit, provision of

improved and high yielding
planting materials and other
agricultural input, farm settlement scheme, communal
farming, livestock and fisheries development.
Other services provided
through the Ministry include
veterinary, produce inspection and agricultural extension services and produce inspection.
Since 2007, a new generation
of farmers has emerged from
the Youth Empowerment
through Agriculture (YETA)
scheme with the establishment of cluster farms. OFN/
Delta Farms Ltd., a joint initiative of the Obasanjo Farms
and the state government is
producing the highest number of poultry in the country.
The state government is to
partner with the Niger Delta
Basin Authority to use agriculture to solve unemployment problem and redirect
the energies of the youths in
the region.
Governor
Emmanuel
Uduaghan said a partnership
with the agency would,
therefore, be a tonic that
would accelerate the agricultural programme of the state
government.
He said the state has invited
investors from Taiwan to
contribute towards the state
agricultural programme
even as he explained that his
administration believes in
private sector participation in
agriculture.
The governor said some experts commissioned by the
state have completed feasibility studies on an aquaculture
estate in the state, adding that
emphasis would be placed on
aquaculture and rice production.
The governor, who said agriculture holds the key to
peace and security, said
“farmers are to be encouraged and we are using agriculture to promote peace and
security. Delta is a natural
advantage
for
agribusiness.The state has considerable natural advantages.
In fact, the state ’s economic
future will depend on the expansion of its promising agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and forestry sectors.
The Ministry of Agriculture is the main agency for
regulating and developing
activities relating to agriculture, horticulture, fishing,
animal husbandry, etc. It is
implementing
various
schemes and policies for the
sector. The ministry is actively engaged in promoting entrepreneurial activities
in the segments of fish processing as well as fruits and
vegetables processing.

•Uduaghan

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

15

16

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

DEDICATION

INFRASTRUCTURE

FEAST

Philantropist
builds for
community

Orji
inaugurates
projects

Four years
after JTF, a
kingdom
celebrates

Anambra 46

Abia

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

47

Delta

48

Page 17

Email: news_extra@yahoo.com

Okorocha seeks partnership on cassava production

I

•Okorocha

MO State Governor Rochas
Okorocha has urged the Federal Government to partner
with the state in cassava production.
The governor stated this when
the Minister of Agriculture Dr.
Akinwumi Adesina paid him a
courtesy visit in the Government
House, Owerri.
Okorocha explained that with its
third position in cassava production in the country, Imo has the
potential to produce enough cassava flour for local consumption
and even export under the federal
government’s agricultural revolution scheme.
He said: “Imo is an agrarian state
with vast agricultural potentials.

We presently occupy third position
in cassava production which means
that our state has the potential of
producing enough cassava flour for
local consumption and large commercial quantity for export if federal government partners with us.
Apart from creating massive job
opportunities, the programme also
has the capacity to diversify our
economy which presently depends
on crude oil.”
Okorocha disclosed that the state
government has taken proactive
steps in the agricultural sector
which led to the concessioning of
Imo Palm Plantation formerly
known as Adapalm to Roche
Group through which about N3.5
billion was generated.

He added that efforts are being
intensified to ensure that the moribund Avutu Poultry is revived to
function to its optimal capacity
while arrangements have been
made to plant an improved variety of palm seedlings in each of the
27 local government areas.
Okorocha further stated that the
government has engaged the services of some agricultural experts
under the Rural Agricultural Programme (RAP) for massive food
production.
He disclosed that a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) between
the state government and the Republic of Kosovo has been signed
on the exportation of agricultural
produce from the state.

Earlier, the Minister, Dr.
Adesina said that the Federal
Government has concluded plans
to build an industrial cassava
plant in Imo State to harness its
potentials in the production of the
crop.
He disclosed that under the ongoing agricultural revolution in
the country, the Federal Government would assist Imo State to
actualise its plan to revive the
Avutu poultry.
He applauded the giant strides
the Okorocha administration has
made on the infrastructural development of the state as well as
the policies and programmes introduced to ensure food security
in the state.

A

NAMBRA State government has acquired different sanitation trucks and
waste receptacles with which to
rid the state of filth. The equipment cost over N300m.
Onitsha, its commercial capital, hosts one of the biggest markets in West Africa but it is
hardly one of the cleanest. For
over a decade, disused plastic
bottles and discarded cellophane
materials have helped to give the
commercial city an ugly face.
Governor Peter Obi is determined to put an end to the filth
regime. In fact, the war against
unsightly environment is at its
peak now in the state with the
procurement of sanitation trucks
and receptacles, which the governor has inaugurated.
At the inauguration, school
buses worth over N200m were
also commissioned.
Inaugurating the equipment at
the premises of Innoson Motor
Manufacturing
Company,
Nnewi, Obi said the state will
become the cleanest in Nigeria
if waste managers take their jobs
seriously.
Obi commended President
Goodluck Jonathan for his interest in private enterprise as
proved by his acceptance to commission the motor plant during
his visit to the state in 2010
against the advice of his staff.
He praised the efforts of industrialist Innocent Chukwuma to
site the manufacturing company
in Nnewi. The governor also
called other Nigerian investors
to emulate Chukwuma.
Obi said he deliberately decided to perform the commissioning at the premises of
Innoson to show to the world that
such things were now manufactured in Anambra State.
“Come and buy your wide
range of needs at Innoson, rather
than travel abroad for the same
purpose,” Obi said.
The governor who disclosed
that the state would buy more of
such vehicles, said the school
buses were meant for some
schools that did not benefit from
the over 150 buses distributed to

schools earlier. For the refuse disposal trucks, he said the commissioning represented the change in
tactics for the disposal of refuse in
the state. He further said his government is now paying for fire

trucks and would soon take
deliveryof the vehicles.
Obi said that part of the tactics
was the formation of a new
Anambra State Waste Management
Agency (ASWMA) and the appointment of an environmental chemist, Dr. Anthony Okoye, to head it.
“As long as refuse is not seen on

Anambra streets, his work is secure, otherwise the contrary will
be the case. Now is not the time for
platitudes, but for action and more
action,” Obi thundered.
The governor said the take-off of
the agency was a bit delayed because he wanted to provide them
with the tools to work with.

In his speech, Chukwuma said
he received tremendous goodwill from Governor Obi and that
he did not regret investing in
Anambra State. He called on
other investors to come and invest in the state and enjoy the
support of a governor who understands investment in its totality.
He informed on how the parts
for his vehicle manufacturing
were mistakenly sold by Customs and how Obi assisted him
•Continued on Page 45

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

18

47

Rivers fire victims get
relief materials

T

•Governor Amaechi

HE
National
Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) has
donated relief materials worth
millions of Naira to victims of the recent
fire incident in Igwuruta, Ikwere Local
Government of Rivers State .
The Director General of the agency,
Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, handed over
the materials to the state Commissioner
for Special Duties, Mr Emeka Wogu, in
Port Harcourt.
Sani-Sidi said that the donation was
part of the agency’s efforts to cushion the
effects of the disaster on victims of the
March 17 fire incident which ravaged the
community.
The materials included bags of rice,

Anambra to establish braille centre

T

HE Anambra state government is to
establish a Braille Centre for the blind
to enhance the documentation of
resource materials for easy research, the
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social
Development, Dr. Ego Uzoezie has said.
Uzoezie, who made the disclosure at Women
Development Centre, Awka at the Anambra
state 2011 International Day For Persons with
Disabilities , explained that when completed,
it will stand as a model Information
Communication Technology (ICT) centre for
the blind.
“The blind people cannot effectively use
other ICT centres, so this will become a
model for the blind so that they can come and
learn”, she said.
Presenting mobility aids, computers, sewing
machines, perkins braille machines, wheel
chairs, grinding machines, clutches,
shoemaking kits, vulcanizing machines,
among other items to persons with disabilities
at the event, Uzoezie frowned at the non
challant attitude of the disabled persons for
not making use of the skill acquisition facility
provided them by the state government.
“It is a reality that many of you do not
support yourselves with the skill acquisition
centre provided for you by the state
government. The essence of establishing those
centres is for you to realise whom you are.
You should work hard to realise yourselves”,
she admonished.
In his keynote address, Governor Peter Obi
said his administration had given N2 million

Anambra
From Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi

to some disabled persons as business start
off grants to ensure their self reliance.

New product

M

EDICAL experts in Lagos have
hailed the introduction of a new
product for immunotherapy in the
country. They spoke during separate clinical
presentations held in four public hospitals
in the state by the manufacturer,
Immunotherapy Nigeria Limited.
The product, Immunocal, is a tool of
immunotherapy in modulating glutathione
in the body cells, aimed at reducing the
number of patients in the hospitals and
reducing
treatment
failure
from
conventional medical treatment.
The presentations held by the company
under a programme tagged: Breakthrough in
the management of chronic diseases, took place
at the Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki, Isolo and Lagos
Mainland general hospitals.
Dr. Anthony Falana of the Lagos Mainland
General Hospital, said the presentation was
enlightening and incisive. He described the
technology employed in producing
Immunocal as the future of medicine.

Orji inaugurates projects

T

HE Abia State Governor, Theodore
Orji, has inaugurated the first phase
of projects completed by his
adminisrtation in the last one year. They
were three road projects and a pedestrian
bridge in Aba.
The roads were the Ukwu-Mango, Old
express and Dan-fodio roads and a
pedestrian bridge across Aba-Owerri road.
fThe governor also commissioned two road
projects in the state capital, Umuahia, - the
Nkata-Umukabia Ohuhu and the Okwoyi
roads, with the promise to inaugurate more
projects in the state.
Speaking at the ceremony in Aba, Orji said
that despite the seeming hide and seek
relationship between his administration
and the City of Aba, he will never stop
putting up structures that will stand the test
of time.

Rivers
beans, groundnut oil, onions, and
mattresses.
The fire incident, which claimed many
lives and properties, including a family
of four, was ignited by a petrol tanker
which skidded off the road and caught
fire.
The Director General urged the council
to be transparent in the distribution of
the materials, saying that every victim
must benefit.
He praised the state government for
its efforts to mitigate disasters over the
years.
“Your giant stride in the development
of the state and support to NEMA are
the manifestation of your commitment
to good governance,” Sani-Sidi, said.
Wogu, who received the items,
expressed happiness for the donation,
adding that the prompt response of
NEMA indicated that Nigeria had a
caring government.
Wogu said the ministry would
continue to partner with the agency to
ensure effective disaster management
in the state and the South South zone.
He assured that the materials would
be judiciously shared to the victims of
the incident.

• From right: Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola; Chairman, Iba Local
Council Development Area, Hon. Nimota Adeyeri Oseni, Permanmant Secretary, Pension and
Establishment, Mrs Iyabode Obasa and Council Manager, of the LCDA, Mr Victor Layeni during
the last sanitation exercise .

Council chair promises to transform
primary schools

T

HE Chairman of Igbo Etiti Local
Government Area in Enugu State, Mr Festus
Ozoemena, says his administration is poised
to transform all the primary schools in the council
area.
Ozoemena made the pledge in an interview with

35 convicted for sanitation offences

E

BONYI State Environmental Sanitation
Court convicted 35 persons out of a
total of 53 persons arraigned before it
by the state environmental sanitation task
force for flouting the state Environmental law
The presiding Magistrate Chinue Ukwa
who read out the sentence to the defaulters
said they were sentenced for their failure to
obey the state environmental laws. Some of
the defaulters however pleaded not guilty,
maintaining that they were returning from
church.
But the Magistrate, reminded them that
ignorance of the law is not an excuse and
asked them to pay a fine of between N3, 000
to N5, 000 or serve two months
imprisonment.
33 of those convicted paid the fine and were

Ebonyi
From Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki

subsequently set free while three of them
who could not pay up were sent to the
Abakaliki Prison to serve their jail terms.
The state Commissioner for Environment,
Engr Paul Okorie who regretted the high
level of violation ofenvironmental laws by
members of the Nigerian Police and Army
threatened to start arresting them if they
continue to disobey the law Engr Okorie
further said that the ministry will not start
enforcing the new environmental bill which
was supposed to come into effect yesterday,
1st of April was yet to be passed into law by
the state assembly.

•Chairman, Odi-Olowo-Ojuwoye LCDA, Lagos, Aremo Adeyemi Alli (left) deworrning
children between 0-12 years at the council secretariat .

•Hon Mrs Biodun Adegoke, Supervisor for Agric. and Rural Development, Ikeja Local
Govt., presenting prizes to Master Samuel Aigbokhaode, the winner of the Primary School
Category of the Spelling Bee Competition in Ikeja

South African varsity to honour
Nigerians
A
S part of our effort to recognize and
encourage excellence, the New
World
Mission
Dunamis
International University, South Africa will
honour some distinguished personalities
in Nigeria for the conferment of Honorary
Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa).
The conferment would be performed by
the President of the university, Prof. Louis
Mathys De Bruin from South Africa on
Thursday April 12, at the University of
Lagos Conference Centre, Akoka, Yaba,
Lagos , Nigeria. According to the press
statement by the Director of the
Programme in Nigeria, Dr. Akin B.
Ogunsakin, “This well deserved honour is
to recognise extraordinary intellectuals,
outstanding achievers in national building,
educational and professional advancement
in Nigeria. The finest and most useful
method
to
recognise
their
accomplishments and to formally bestow
upon the worthy individuals the respect
they deserve is by the conferral of the
degree.”
NWMD International University’s
honorary doctorate degrees are awarded
to leaders of national and international
eminence in their areas of endeavours.
This unique programme recognises
profound contributions in the arts, science
and technology, education, politics and

Enugu
journalists in Enugu .
He said that already, construction of classroom
blocks and provision of infrastructural facilities
in most of the primary schools had begun .
The council chairman explained that his
administration would ensure that all the
dilapidated classroom blocks in the primary
schools would be upgraded.
Ozoemena said work had commenced in eight
primary schools which would be completed in a
month’s time.
He also said that the administration had
procured 5000 desks and tables for pupils and
teachers in 15 primary schools in the council.
He said the council had also embarked on an
aggressive construction of boreholes in different
communities to make water available for the
residents.
“My administration, since its inception, has
drilled not less than three boreholes at the first
three months of this tenure.
“Work is still ongoing in the rehabilitation of
greater Ukehe water scheme to boost water
supply in the local government area.
“This administration is very sensitive to water
reticulation at various communities, so, a lot of
emphasis has been laid in making sure that every
community in the local government is provided
with potable water.”
He added that arrangements had been
concluded to drill more boreholes in different
communities of the local government.

Church to
empower youths
By Nneka Nwaneri

N

O fewer than 10,000 youths will be
empowered at the Youth Centre of
the Redemption Camp, Lagos
Ibadan Expressway this Easter period. The
programme is run by the Dominion City
Church
The four-day camp which runs from
April 5 to April 9 with the theme: Global
Trends, will endow attendees with what it
takes to embark on missionary work,
leadership in various sectors, health tips,
NGO services, a career guide to those who
wish to further their education and sessions
on biblical teachings. The Programme
Director, Utchay Odims, said the event will
afford youths the opportunity to commune
with God and also pray for the country.
He said:“We are educating the mind,
heart and the hands of these young ones.
We hope to raise leaders for a new Nigeria
that would transform the society.”
Entertainers like J Martins, Klint the
Drunk and Helen Paul will be present to
stage a performance.
Expected to attend are delegates from
Uganda, Australia, Ucraine, Ghana and
South Africa.

Police warn vehicle
owners
The Lagos State Police Command has
directed the owner of the
Volkswagen bus (unregistered)
parked at the Langbasa Division, to
remove it or forfeit same through
auction.

Briefly

Groups collaborate to improve
THE NACCIMA Export Action Group (NEXAG)
non-oil exports
and Cobalt International Services Limited, the
only pre-shipment agency in Nigeria responsible
for the inspection of goods going out of the
countr, have both come together to facilitate
the growth of non-oil exports in Nigeria.
Speaking during a courtesy visit, the
Managing Director, XPT Logistics International
Limited and a member of NEXAG, Mr. Kola
Awe, said that the reason for the visit is to create
a bridge between exporters and Cobalt services
to facilitate quick inspection of products so
that
He added that NEXAG has a lot of exporters
as members and it is the only group that has
government agencies as its members and in
essence, Cobalt will understand the membership
strength of NEXAG in the non-oil export. This
will create a platform to relate with government
agencies where export-related issues and
problems could be resolved amicably.
“We look forward to a relationship where
Cobalt International Services will be there for
our people and the essence of timing in export
transaction will be made known since time is
an important factor in export transaction.
“Nigeria is a monocultural economy and we
need to push our non-oil export and see how we
can develop the nation in the diversification of
non-oil export. So, other organisations that deal
with non-oil export should join the NACCIMA
Export Action Group (NEXAG) saddled with
the responsibility of building access to

information data bank on export and export
related matters, facilitating trade especially
the non-oil exports, sensitising and raising
the level of awareness of local materials
among others”, Awe said.

Abia
From Ugochukwu Eke, Umuahia

Orji said that the projects being commissioned
are part of the dividends of democracy in Aba
and other parts of the state, stressing that his
administration will do everything possible to
ensure even development in the state.
He said: “I am always pleased and excited to
be in Enyimba City to meet with our citizens
and you know that you are always on my mind,
despite what seems to be an interminable ‘cat
and mouse relationship’, you remain the
primary concern of our government”.The
governor noted that if previous administrations
have done what they were supposed to do in
the city and the entire state, the amount of funds
being spent now would have been used for
other things.
He added: “There is no amount of
intimidation from any quarters that will make
this administration to shy away from its
responsibility to move the state forward, we
are determined to do this difficult job, initiating
original, prime projects and tackling the
seemingly impossible ones”.
Orji explained that some of the projects being
commissioned had been left unattended to by
former governments, “But we have done them
with the mind to help expand the city, with the

•Governor Orji
safety implications often ignored by our
people and also to maintain the aesthetic value
of the city”.
The governor said that the projects he had
commissioned would help in the vehicular
and human movement and also assist in the
development and fast flow of business
activities in Ariaria market and other business
concerns in the city, “This is just the beginning
of the good things to come to the state in the
next three years.

HE Proprietress of Bluesleeves Private
School, Oshodi, Lagos, Mrs Bola
Aboderin, has applauded the strides of
the Chairman of Oshodi Isolo Local
Government to bring development to sports in
the council.
He gave the commendation at the school’s
inter-house sports competition. But she wants
the chairman to do more in creating more
spaces for sports in the council.
‘’I know the local government has always
been active in sporting activities if not we
wouldn’t have a medium size stadium within
the community, but the unavailability of space

By Amidu Arije

has been a handicap for our kids to have
trainings and to know their capabilities in
some sports activities,’’ she said.
Mrs Aboderin stated that the essence of the
sporting event was to make the children
understand sports and to share love among
themselves.
‘’The essence is to give the Nigerian child a
wholesome education. Thank God for today,
the children have been able to understand
the need for sporting events and I know what
we have today will go a long way in their
lives to appreciate sports. I am really happy
for the whole thing,’’ she said.
She thanked the teachers for their sacrifices
and passion for the success of the inter-house
sport.
‘’I thank the teachers for their efforts. They
have made a lot of sacrifices. They were so
passionate about the sports. They have done
a good job they should continue in that spirit,”
she said.

HE Easter programme started by the
Anthony Village Foursquare Gospel
Church, City of Refuge on Wednesday
will today feature a vigil programme with
the theme: The Power of the Blood at the Idimu
headquarters. It will be co-ordinated by Rev
Gbenga Adekoya. Saturday will witness a
rally at Anthony and Ajao Estate from 3pm
to 6pm.
The programme runs through Sunday with
the topic: He is Alive and a grand finale on
Monday tagged: Brethren Visitation and Picnics
at the church premises.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

19

EDITORIAL/OPINION
EDITORIAL FROM OTHER LAND

Comments

Chief Commander at 70

I

• Nigeria celebrates a musical icon

N a country where there is often much
cause for lamentation, it is heartwarming to know that there are a few
citizens whose lives and work have given
their compatriots a great deal of happiness. A principal member of this distinguished group is Chief Ebenezer Obey,
who marked his seventieth birthday anniversary on Tuesday.
Born Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu
Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, Obey is one of Nigeria’s best-loved musicians whose songs
have provided the soundtrack to major
aspects of Nigerian life since the 1960s.
His first entry into music occurred in the
1950s when he played in the band of Fatai
Rolling Dollar before setting up the International Brothers in 1964. The band was
later renamed the Inter-Reformers Band.
Obey was one of the pioneers of the
musical genre that has come to be known
as Juju. An infectious combination of indigenous rhythm and percussion,
highlife, church music and jazz, Juju reflected the talent and innovativeness of
its practitioners. It utilised both traditional
and modern musical instruments and
deployed lyrics which spoke of the joys
and frustrations of modern life while displaying a yearning for the certainties of
the traditional past.
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey and
his Inter-Reformers were outstanding in
their creation of a melodious brand of Juju
which
successfully
combined
danceability with social relevance and
profundity. Albums like “Ewa Wo Ohun
Ojuri,” “Board Members,” “Aimasiko
Lo’ndamu Eda,” “Arambada Owo Ko Je,”
“Ota Mi Dehin Lehin Mi,” and “Eda To

Mose Okunkun” were evergreen hits
through which Obey simultaneously entertained and enlightened his audience.
The high quality of his music was
matched only by its quantity. Obey has
been an extremely prolific musician, having produced in excess of a hundred albums, often at the rate of at least two a
year. All of them were distinguished by
creativity, constant innovation in instrumentation and rhythm, as well as a topicality that informed even as it delighted.
Obey’s albums have spoken about the
Civil War, the change to right-handed driving and the creation of states. He has celebrated fellow-musicians like Cardinal
Rex Jim Lawson, military leaders like
General Murtala Muhammed, and politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He
has hailed Nigeria’s uniqueness, its diversity and its potential. He has praised
the virtues of patience, forbearance and
honesty.
Perhaps the most characteristic feature
of Ebenezer Obey’s music is its overt religiousness. Even though he did not begin playing explicit gospel until quite late
in his career, his music has always displayed an unobtrusive but definite religiosity wrapped in d elightful melody.
Without preaching to his audience, he explained the principles of uprightness and
decency in relationships and in public life
to the extent that many were not surprised
that he took up a full-time evangelical
career in the early 1990s.
Unlike many musicians and entertainers whose stardom was often diminished
by a less-than-stellar life off-stage,
Ebenezer Obey stands out as a person

who assiduously avoided scandal in his
private life. Throughout a career lasting
nearly 50 years, there has not been a
breath of shame attached either to his
name or to his businesses. Even when
busybodies tried to foment a supposed
quarrel between him and his great rival, Chief Sunday Adeniyi, aka King
Sunny Ade, Obey was able to effectively
quash it through the sheer force of his
personality.
Ebenezer Obey’s life and career are a
tribute to his hard work and consistency.
Not only has he achieved commercial
success and widespread renown, he is
also genuinely beloved by generations
of Nigerians from all over the country,
and by non-Nigerians spread across the
world. We wish him many more fulfilling years.

‘Ebenezer Obey’s life and
career are a tribute to his
hard work and consistency.
Not only has he achieved
commercial success and
widespread renown, he is
also genuinely beloved by
generations of Nigerians
from all over the country,
and by non-Nigerians
spread across the world. We
wish him many more fulfilling years’

No longer sacred

F

• If Turkey could review its past, put two generals on trial for coup plotting…

ROM Turkey came the grim
reminder that there is no statute of
limitation on abuse of power or
crime against the state, with the
beginning of the trial, on Wednesday, of
that country’s former president, Kenan
Evren. Evren, 94, and his co-conspirator
in the September 12, 1980 coup which
ousted the country’s civilian government,
86-year-old Tahsin Sahinkaya, are to
justify their action which eventually led
to the establishment of a brutal military
regime that had been accused of
widespread human rights abuses. Evren
was Turkey’s seventh president from
1982 to 1989.
Because the duo are in poor health, they
could not turn up for the trial on
Wednesday. But the issue is not about

‘But leaders, particularly African
leaders who behave as if power
is an end in itself, should know
that the possibility of their being
called to account for their actions
years after they might have left
the scene is high once they are
still alive. The world is changing
fast and the continent cannot
afford to be left behind. And in
Nigeria, today’s political leaders
may lack the courage to ask our
former leaders to explain their
roles in the country’s sordid past,
the fact is that it is not over until
it is over’

whether they were present in court or not;
the fact that they are facing trial at all is
more fundamental. Coming 32 years after
they seized power, their trial has only
reinforced the global trend whereby past
leaders with questions to answer are
being called upon to account for their
actions while in power.
Of course there had been other coups
before the one of 1980 in a country where
the military sees itself as the guarantor
of secularism; there was one in 1960 and
another in 1971. Also, the military
pressurised an Islamist-rooted
government to relinquish power as
recently as 1997; but then, the 1980
putsch was the bloodiest; hundreds of
thousands of people were arrested and
about 250,000 were charged. Fifty
persons, including a 17 year-old boy
were executed while dozens died of
torture and many fled on exile. Perhaps
more of their accomplices would have
been made to face trial with them but for
the fact that Evren and Sahinkaya are the
only surviving members of the junta that
seized power in 1980.
The aspect of the constitution that
would have shielded the generals from
trial was removed in 2010, hence they
must face trial. They are lucky though, in
that if the trial had taken place in their
time, they would have bagged the death
penalty upon conviction. Mercifully,
however, the worst punishment they can
now get is life imprisonment, if
convicted; Turkey having abolished the
death penalty since 2002. Their trial is
another chapter in the present
government’s campaign against the

country’s once untouchable top brass.
This is a good development. Its
significance lies in the way the country
is dealing with its past. There comes a
time in the life of a country when such
retrospection becomes necessary in
order to see where and how things went
wrong with a view to making amends
for a better future. Perhaps this is one
of the things working for Turkey that
used to be referred to as ‘the sick man
of Europe.’ There have been
tremendous improvements in the
country, especially in the last decade or
so.
It is important that soldiers know the
limits of their powers in spite of the fact
that they bear arms. Violent changes of
government that coup represents is no
longer fashionable. It is even worse
when it has to come with the attendant
loss of lives and limbs and all manner
of deprivations as the 1980 coup for
which the generals are being tried. We
welcome the development but plead
that the trial be transparent.
But leaders, particularly African
leaders who behave as if power is an
end in itself, should know that the
possibility of their being called to
account for their actions years after they
might have left the scene is high once
they are still alive. The world is
changing fast and the continent cannot
afford to be left behind. And in Nigeria,
today’s political leaders may lack the
courage to ask our former leaders to
explain their roles in the country’s
sordid past, the fact is that it is not over
until it is over.

Calling radicalism
by its name

P

RESIDENT Obama’s fruitless three-year
search for compromise with the Republicans ended in a thunderclap of a speech

on Tuesday, as he denounced the party and its
presidential candidates for cruelty and extremism. He accused his opponents of imposing on
the country a “radical vision” that “is antithetical to our entire history as a land of opportunity.”
Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential
front-runner, has embraced a House budget
plan that is little more than “thinly veiled social Darwinism,” the president said, a “Trojan
horse” disguised as deficit reduction that would
hurt middle- and lower-income Americans.
“By gutting the very things we need to grow
an economy that’s built to last — education and
training, research and development, our infrastructure — it is a prescription for decline,” he
said, speaking to a group of Associated Press
editors and reporters in Washington.
Mr. Obama has, in recent months, urged Republicans to put aside their destructive agenda.
But, in this speech, he finally conceded that
the party has demonstrated no interest in the
values of compromise and realism. Even Ronald
Reagan, who raised taxes in multiple budget
deals, “could not get through a Republican primary today,” Mr. Obama said. While Democrats have repeatedly shown a willingness to
cut entitlements and have agreed to trillions
in domestic spending cuts, he said, Republicans won’t agree to any tax increases and, in
fact, want to shower the rich with even more tax
cuts.
The speech was the first time that Mr. Obama
linked Mr. Romney, by name, to his party’s
dishonest budget and discredited trickle-down
policies. As Mr. Obama pointed out, Mr.
Romney described as “marvelous” a budget that
would drastically cut student financial aid,
medical research, Head Start classrooms and
environmental protections. Mr. Obama further
ridiculed the budget’s deficit-cutting goal as
“laughable” because it refuses to acknowledge
the need for new revenues.
The speech was immediately attacked by the
House speaker, John Boehner, for failing to deal
with the debt crisis, but Mr. Obama pointed
out how hollow that charge has become. “That
argument might have a shred of credibility were
it not for their proposal to also spend $4.6 trillion over the next decade on lower tax rates,”
he said. The math is, in fact, quite simple: cutting both taxes and the deficit can mean only
more sacrifice from the middle class and the
poor, ending the promise of Medicare and
Medicaid. Over the long term, the deficit can
be brought down through a combination of cuts
and new revenues; doing so immediately, as
Mr. Romney and his party want to do, would
reverse the fragile recovery.
Mr. Obama provided a powerful signal on
Tuesday that he intends to make this election
about the Republican Party’s failure to confront, what he called, “the defining issue of
our time”: restoring a sense of economic security while giving everyone a fair shot, rather
than enabling only a shrinking number of people to do exceedingly well. His remarks promise a tough-minded campaign that will call extremism and dishonesty by name.
– New York Times

IR: History provides a litany
of invasions where armies
have used their might to subjugate and oppress people. The spiritual invasion of Jerusalem during
the first Palm Sunday was not a violent invasion we know from history.
Jesus invasion of Jerusalem mocked
the Roman invaders and the
messianic hopes of those who believed that Jesus would restore the
empire of David and Solomon. The
invasion mocked the Roman leaders who were not able allow freedom of political expression. Guess
what the two disciples sent by Jesus
to untie the horse were thinking.
They might have imagined for themselves a nobler role; thinking of sitting on the left and right of Jesus in
his glory; jockeying for advantage,
angling for glory, arguing who was
the greatest.
Among the reasons for this season is the challenge of Palm Sunday. Two thousand years ago it was
an engagement in an unromantic
form of ministry and leadership,
mucking around the stable, looking
suspiciously like horse thieves. The
church is called to go into the stables and untie sinners, where sufferers are silenced, poor and innocent are dying rather than sitting in
cushioned air-conditioned churches.
Again, another challenge of Palm
Sunday is about the branches cut
from tree which don’t live long. The

S

IR: It is sad that some disgruntle civil servants in Oyo
State have not allowed reason to prevail, in spite of the several efforts by Governor Abiola
Ajimobi to lay bare before them the
financial situation of the state.
From media reports, the governor had, during his interactive session with the civil servants, said
that to pay the new minimum wage
to the 38,000 workforce, government would require about N4.1 billion, representing 92 per cent of the
total state’s monthly income of
N4.6 billion, with only eight per
cent left to cater for other citizens
of Oyo State who represent over 99

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Reasons for this season
cross. They would wave palms before the coming King, but they would
not obey the Suffering Servant. The
reason for this Easter season is a call
to missional and spiritual invasion
rather than recitation of old liturgies
that holds no water or save a single
soul. Easter time is the time to go
into the stables and city gate to right
the wrongs. Arise and Go.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is
the visible proof that there is another

life, an undiscovered country Jesus
has gone to prepare for those who
belief in him as their Lord and Saviour. Jesus’ resurrection is an affirmation that he is sent of God as acceptable sacrifice for the sins of humanity. In essence, our gospel is a
gospel of a living Saviour and an
assurance that believers trials will
vanish.
What is your trouble? Remember
and think of Jesus as the living Sav-

IR: Extremism and fanaticism
are two sides of a bad coin.
An extremist or fanatic is
blind to the inadequacies in the
belief or cause he is fanatical
about. He believes in the absolute
purity and superiority of his ideology or belief, so he brooks no
opposition. .In fact, he can do anything to protect what he is fanatical about. .Friends, if you see a python and a fanatic at the same time,

run away from the latter first. Then
you can take care of the former later.
Of a truth and if the truth must be
told without bias, nothing on earth
has absolute perfection. There will
always be shortcomings. Nature
has designed it that way. So whoever holds an extreme view about a
concept or an idea deserves more
than a cursory examination. Perhaps, he may have a warped mind!
Your race is not superior to another

person’s nor the making of your
brain or even your religion. Perfection belongs to God.
A fanatic thinks in a one-dimensional way. No alternative route
to his thought process. It could be
as a result of brain-washing by a
master who has some ulterior motive apart from teaching the protégé
to follow a particular concept. Parents, look out for what values your
children cherish!

per cent of the entire population.
It is also on record that from the
paltry N9,400 being collected by
the least paid worker in the state
as at April 2011, the state government had increased it twice within
a year, first to N13,000 and now to
N19,113.
Workers in the state also collect
their wages on the 25 th of every
month and civil servants are now
being sent for courses abroad. So
what is their problem? Do they
want to destroy the government on
behalf of their sponsors in the PDP
so that Ajimobi won’t be able to
perform?
And the PDP would have a point

to campaign in 2015? This can be
deduced from their irascible disposition to this issue and their being
hell bent on destroying the government, in spite of various explanations on the financial situation of the
state. Which reasonable government
would spend 92 per cent of its earning on a population of less than one
per cent?
I recall that Gov. Ajimobi paid all
the workers 13th month salary in full
in December 2011, out of his commitment to their welfare; while vehicle loans have also been given to
various categories of civil servants
in the last three months.
One, therefore, expects that work-

excitement of the Palm Sunday’s
crowd soon faded and when Good
Friday rolled in, many of the same
voices who shouted ‘Hosanna’ were
shouting ‘Crucify Him.’ Their love
for the Lord was shallow and based
entirely on their hope of what exciting things Jesus could do for
them. Too many pilgrims would
get in behind Jesus on the road to
the throne, but they would not follow him on the way to the

S

iour, full of power and love. Let you
hope come alive. Jesus resurrection
proves the futility of all your oppositions and enemies. Jesus’ death and
resurrection discharged our debt,
sorrow and sickness, and exhibited
the receipt of all our liabilities.
Arise and shine, your light has
come.
God is saying to someone: henceforth, mercy will locate and smile at
you; your life will be glorious in
contrast with your past and present
humiliations; your sorrow and
weeping are swallowed up in the
victory of resurrection. The glory
and
power
of Jesus’
resurrection will change your poison into medicine.
• Very Rev Dr Deji Okegbile,
Wesley House, Lagos

Fanaticism breeds terrorism

Oyo workers and us
ers would be reasonable enough to
take whatever is being offered them
now, continue with their work and
explore further avenue for negotiation with the government on the
nagging issue of minimum wage,
in the interest of the state.
They should also live to their
promise that they would eradicate
corruption within the system and
do everything possible to shore up
the internally generated revenue of
the state, so that more funds would
be available after the payment of
the minimum wage to develop the
state.
• Idris Onaolapo
Akobo, Ibadan.

Fanaticism breeds terrorism. Terrorism is the employment of
force(brutal) by a fanatic or extremist to bring about compulsory
conformity by people around him
to his beliefs and ideas. Most times,
it results in death of the innocent.
So, a fanatic can kill, if he is not
checked and reported to the appropriate quarters for urgent intervention...
To curb a potential terrorist before he explodes, the community
must be vigilant and alive to its
responsibility of monitoring or
policing as the case may be. A fanatic suspect can be monitored and
offered counseling before he
morphs into a terrorist or a suicide
bomber. They say a stitch in time
saves nine.
Regulatory bodies should be set
up to monitor the teachings of most
religious organizations in order to
ensure that their adherents do not
misconstrue what they are taught.
Religious terrorism is the most
virulent. .And for a country like
ours with millennial poverty as her
signature tune, every citizen must
be conscious of the dangers posed
by the fanatic.
• Akinboyo Temidayo
Igbotako, Ondo State.

THE NATION FRIDAY, ARPIL 6, 2012
16

21

EDITORIAL/OPINION

Reality
Bites
I

End of the working class heroes…
Readers’ parliament

Olatunji Ololade

HAVE been reading your editorials for a very long time now. I
must admit that you are a fearless writer in a country where yellow is orange and where people always have reasons to fear. To say that
80 per cent of Nigerians are cowards
is an understatement. Sad thing is
how many have access to your column? Sadder still; how many are
aware of events about the Arab
spring. To be aware, they need electricity to be connected to the outside
world via CNN or more. When the
negligible light is available, they will
rather watch African Magic on DSTV.
So how the hell can they be able to
borrow a leaf from the Arab spring?
Mark my word, fuel subsidy will be

‘Olatunji, ride on. Please
tell the Nigerian leadership
that “enough is enough!”
about oil subsidy corruption. Imagine cost of fuel in
Nigeria being the highest
among oil producing nations
in the world. Besides, it is
toxic and damaging to our
car engines and the Nigerian
Standards Organisation
(NSO) is doing nothing
about it. Let the government
stop unfair charges. Let the
government confront the oil
cabal or mafia and ensure total transparency in the oil
sector. Engineer Victor.
08037364525’

I

removed and nothing will happen
as usual. Nigerians will only blow
hot air. After one week of strike action, the outcry will fizzle out. Nigerians can’t sustain strike neither do
they have the heart for a fight to free
themselves from the yoke of bad leadership. 08064286736.
More of this instructive article on
“End of the working class heroes,”
will be good for all – both the ruling
class and the working class. Thank
you so much. 08023012584.
Hello Olatunji, if your editorial is
all I read in newspaper, I will be very
okay with it. After all, I only buy The
Nation on Fridays. The country lacks
people who romances with the truth
in the media. Keep up the good work.
The liberty of this country is in your
editorial.
Udoh
from
Jos.
08032033374.
Olatunji, ride on. Please tell the
Nigerian leadership that “enough is
enough!” about oil subsidy corruption. Imagine cost of fuel in Nigeria
being the highest among oil producing nations in the world. Besides, it
is toxic and damaging to our car engines and the Nigerian Standards
Organisation (NSO) is doing nothing
about it. Let the government stop
unfair charges. Let the government
confront the oil cabal or mafia and
ensure total transparency in the oil
sector. Engineer Victor. 08037364525.
I have waited for too long to have
this stark realities told by you today
on Page 21 of The Nation; 2015 may
be too long and far away…but sure,
obo ti pa ara re (the monkey has
killed itself). More ink to your pen.
08037144300.

N 2000, the burning desire of
Anambrarians to own a university was
realised consequent upon the relentless
effort of the then Governor of the state Dr.
Chinwoke Mbadinuju. Anambra State
University (ANSU) was formally established by
the Anambra State law No. 13, of January 1, 2000,
as amended, in order to open its doors without
discrimination to the teeming population of
youths in Anambra State, its environs and the
wider public who desire higher education.
Hence, the university places high premium on
arts, sciences and technology and their
applications to enhance the over-all well being
of the society.
More over, the pursuance of academic
excellence in all aspects of human endeavour
relating to cultural, social and economic
developmental needs of the nation is
encapsulated as its guiding philosophy.
In line with its goals and mission, the
university established two campuses at Uli and
Igbariam, respectively, for academic and
administrative convenience with seven
faculties/colleges and 37 departments, to
develop and harness the rich but diverse
potential in the students. In 2007, the university
introduced part-time/weekend programme in
response to the noble desires of Anambrarians
and the wider public who may not be opportune
to engage in full-time studies to achieve their
educational ambition. The university’s school
of post-graduate studies took off in 2009 to
enable interested persons to advance their
education to masters and doctorate degree
levels.
Notwithstanding, the university has over the
years produced sound graduates with unique
and outstanding intellectual ingenuity in
various fields of study; courtesy of the school
management and the dedicated lecturers who
are always determined to make a difference in
their style of imparting knowledge to the
students. The prevailing reading culture among
students is as a result of the university’s bold
measure against truancy and examination
misconduct. In fact, many employers of labour
have borne eloquent testimony to the quality
of graduates produced by the university.
And, in spite of cynics, Anambra State
University teaching hospital situated in Amaku

The end 1 and 2
Sir Ololade, the picture you paint
in your “The End 1” is too scary but
true. Like a movie, you recreated the
dreadful pictures of the civil war and
the horrors that television brought
into our living rooms from other
lands. Shall we be allowed to see
2015? And will they allow us elect
the ones you envisaged? I am waiting for the second part! E.U. Ukairo.
FSTC Uromi, Edo state. 07032345312.
Only pain! Only misery! Only five
years of hell as a graduate in Nigeria.
Only hope and prayer that this prophecy is averted because it will be
bloody. But that’s what satan their
master want from us. Maybe it’s a
necessary evil. Phillip. 08033817094.
Mr. Ololade, are you a prophet because I can see you are seeing a vision in “The End (1).” Do we need to
sit down and watch those things happen? Chinedu Osumili. 08130239474.
UNN.
Hi, Olatunji, just read your article:
“The End 1” and it is a terrific read. I
look forward to your articles. Very
firebrand and passionate. Thumbs
up. 08180661079.
We must overcome this criminal
government. 07036662806.
Re: The End (2); fine piece. It frightens me that I am not the only one
thinking along these lines. Akinyode.
08033705338.
Behold Nigeria’s Nostradamus!
You sound between a prophet and a
perfect prognosticator. I have been
keenly following your lamentation
right from “The End 1.” Do we need
to go to the planets to verify the authenticity of the truths that are tormenting you to explosion? You are
speaking of what even our western
neighbours know as the inevitable
truth. But you err by aiming straightforward for the truth. Winston
Churchill said you don’t do that. I

however encourage you to keep on
telling the truth. Soji Ojediran.
Ibadan. 08063939858.
Did Jonathan read the piece titled:
“Farewell Umaru, Jonathan has
come to us at last” of May 14, 2010?
The answer is “no!” I think the Egyptians are more politically conscious
than the oppressed Nigerians. PDP
and Jonathan are one ideologically.
Thank you. Amos Ejimonye. Kaduna.
08039727512.
Sir, I am a passionate reader of your
“Reality Bites” indeed. And I must
commend your journalism prowess
and equally pray for you not to be
lured by better pay to the presidency
like some people we know.
07067416008.
I love your “Reality Bites” column.
No doubt that a thoughtful and committed group of people can restrategize Nigeria and give voice to
the silenced. 08062704585.
Ebele Baba and his 40-something
cripples
(Economics according to Sanusi
Lamido Sanusi)
You tried by calling them cripples.
I see them as blind men. Feyi Kareem.
08094418491.
In a nutshell, your write-up is informative and brilliant even if our
happy-go-lucky president is reeling
punch-drunk on the canvas. Olumide.
08035874105.
I think you are right. Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan is blindly trailing
behind Okonjo Iweala. It’s a huge
surprise that government is silent on
corruption hence no policy will work.
According to Muhammadu Buhari,
government should spare the masses
and fight graft. Dr. Onoh. Enugu.
08072027158.
Olatunji, Sanusi is speaking to himself and IMF. His economics is childish and porous. Ask him how long it
will take to fix a refinery and the an-

Challenges and prospects
of Anambra varsity at 12
By Ezenwaka Macdonald
is near completion with elegant structures and
modern medical facilities installed to meet
international standards, kudos to Governor
Peter Obi, the architect of Anambra State
Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS).
Furthermore, the effective and efficient
functioning of the university system, coupled
with the serene environment propitious to
serious academic business is another feather
added to the administrative sagacity and
managerial acumen of the incumbent vice
Chancellor, Prof. Fidelis Okafor and his vibrant
team. Recently, the university’s management,
with the support of the state government, has
reduced the school fees from the hitherto N129,
000 to N109,000 and N76,000 thousand, even
though this has not satisfied some of the students
who have continued to demand for further
downward review of the fees. Also, the new
anti-cult security outfit instituted by the vicechancellor has curbed, significantly, cultism and
cult-related activities on the campus while effort
has been intensified to rehabilitate those who
renounced cultism, hence discipline remains the
order of the day among ANSU students.
Taking cognisance of the fact that no
individual or organisation functions without
encountering one challenge or the other,
Anambra State University is not an exemption.
The university has its own challenges.
Despite the infrastructural feat attained by the
university through the support and commitment
of the past and present governments in the state,
the university is in dire need of physical and
social infrastructure. More lecture halls and
offices need to be erected and furnished to
ameliorate the infrastructural challenges
currently faced by the university.
Secondly, the desire for an avalanche
of reputable professors by the university is still
hampered by the glaring impecuniosities being
paced by the school. Though the 90 million naira

monthly subvention received by the school
from the government is actually big, it is
insufficient to reverse this pitiable situation.
Hence, government should take a realistic step
to address this problem by increasing the
monthly subvention to the school.
Thirdly, the completion of the university
teaching hospital and getting it accredited poses
a lot of challenges to the university. This is due
to the high cost of procuring modern medical
facilities and the wage bill to be incurred from
employing medical specialists and lecturers to
measure up with globally acceptable standards.
Fourthly, to maintain a pride of place among
universities across the globe, and to continue
actualising its objective of producing sound,
innovative and creative graduates who can
compete with their counterparts anywhere in
the world, the university library should be
upgraded to electronic library for effective
teaching and research. This is more so because
research is indispensable to social, economic,
political and technological development.
The university is also faced with the challenge
of providing Information Communication
Technology (ICT) Training Centre for intensive
practical training of the students in ICT. This
centre is needed to acquaint the students with
the knowledge of ICT, since almost every
human activity today requires the knowledge
of ICT. In addition to making Anambra State
University students ICT compliant, an
entrepreneurship training centre should also
be set up to consummate its target of producing
entrepreneurs, job creators rather than job
seekers.
Sixthly, the resilience of the university to instill
hard work, reading culture and academic
excellence, as well as maintaining a malpracticefree setting is never a mere reverie. The
university has recorded a lot of successes
through its internal administration machinery,

swer will end. Harris. 07034935307.
The self-styled Marxist (Lamido)
despite his puritan leaning is as elitist as they come! I am surprised that
nobody in civil society has done the
math on how the commoner who
buys PMS for his electricity generator, takes public transportation and
uses kerosene to cook will have anything left out of N18, 000 minimum
wage.
It’s
not
rocket
science…brilliant piece today. F.
Patrick. Abuja. 08186054747.
Great write up! Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi makes me sick. 08032131438.
Sanusi and company do not have
new solution to Nigeria’s problem.
we need new economic models to
solve our problems. KOKS from
Calabar. Cross River state.
08184141004.
Thanks Olatunji; Sanusi’s predecessor at CBN also enthralled us with
his dramatics until the bubble burst.
They think Nigerians are dumb as
they are. Iff not, why have they failed
to answer the simple question of
about why Nigeria is the only oil
producing nation that imports refined products? How sane is a leadership that wants to extort money
from its citizens in order to provide
their basic needs? 08033013597.
Well articulated! 08023600373.
I can’t blame those that do not know
that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has penchant for playing to the gallery. He
cares less for the poor…Ben Oluyemi.
08080996134.
Dear Olatunji Ololade, I just read
your piece now on Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi…al I have to say is that thank
God you are out there for us. Your
ink will never run dry. Your Godgiven power of thought and courage
will keep increasing as far as you use
it to serve humanity and the truth.
08029952832.
• To be continued
For SMS only 08038551123

in preventing and curbing the derogatory
menace of examination malpractices and other
sharp practices. Nevertheless, there are grey
areas that need to be brushed in wining the
fight against examination misconduct in the
institution.
In conclusion, most of the nagging
challenges mentioned boil down to the poor
state of the university resulting from inadequate
monthly subvention from the state government
and the inability of the school to exploit other
avenues for income generation. Therefore, the
state government is called upon to increase her
monthly subvention to the university to enable
it over- come these challenges. Though, this call
to augment state subvention is not unmindful
of the indefatigable effort of Governor Obi in
making the university a model citadel of
learning
Using ANIDS as the compass to achieve even
sectoral development in the state, in spite of the
meager federal allocation accruing to the state,
Governor Obi’s reputable and sublime financial
responsibility and management in governance
cannot be disparaged. On the other hand, the
university management should be more
prudent in financial administration and strive
to invest in certain areas like transportation
within and outside the campus, building of
hostels and provision of other services needed
by the students so as to generate more revenue
to complement state allocation to the school. So
far however, Prof. Okafor must be commended
for his industry and proactive steps in
introducing changes to and addressing the needs
of the university.
Moreover, Anambra State has no other
university other than this one. The university is
not owned by Governor Obi but by all
Anambrarians, thus the clarion call to goodspirited people within and outside Anambra
State to contribute to the education of the present
and future generations by assisting the
university financially in executing some
important projects. They can even partner with
the university in providing certain services such
as ICT and entrepreneurship training centres
for the university community. The university
is ever ready to immortalise the names of such
people for posterity to appreciate.
• Ezenwaka Macdonald, an author, writes
from Awka.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

22

EDITORIAL/OPINION
‘Read no history: nothing but
biography, for that is life without theory.’
——— Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

Y

Mobolaji Sanusi
(Contd from last week)The public
still remains enthralled by the tenacity
with which Tinubu fights his many battles
within and even outside power. He fought
ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo’s tyranny
against true federalism in Nigeria. At a
period in office, Tinubu believed that the
large population of Lagos needed more local
governments so as to further bring
development to the grassroots and he created
more. But the Obasanjo administration
resisted the move with all arbitrary might,
even when the Lagos government in
deference to the rule of law, quickly
approached the Supreme Court that gave
judgement that recognized the legality of the
act, even though in its learned view, the
process was ‘inchoate.’
The federal government used extrajudicial
means to frustrate governance in Lagos when
Obasanjo unconstitutionally seized the funds
meant for the local councils, but Tinubu
remained undaunted. The local council
development areas (LCDAs) courageously
created then are still in existence. The way
Tinubu conquered the petty bickering against
true progress of Lagos and federalism by PDP
henchmen such as Adeseye Ogunlewe, a
former Lagos State senator and Minister of
Works, and Bode George, an ex-convict and

‘Tinubu has over time
proved to have the
uncommon ability to
wine and dine with the
devil without getting his
hands burnt. At a point
during the local council
funds
crisis,
his
information managers put
up a press release
describing Obasanjo as a
statesman among other
superlatives’

T

HE moment has presented an
uncanny parallel between President
Barak Obama of the United States of
America and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
Nigeria’s finance minister. Four years ago, a
certain Senator Obama, an African-AsianAmerican achieved the uncommon when he
soared literally to the most powerful position
in the world – the President of U.S.A! A black
man sitting on the very bastion of power of
the blue-eyed Western Caucasian world was
something in the realm of dreams and utopia.
And it took over 200 years in coming. But it
came when it must come in 2009 and a certain
Obama was the harbinger and inheritor of
that momentous change.
We must draw the same parallel here with
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 57- year- old
economist, scholar, technocrat and public
administrator who seeks to do the unheard
of – she wants to become the first non-US
citizen and the first black person ( and woman
at that), to become the president of the World
Bank (WB). For a bit of background, the WB
is a veritable child of capitalism conceived
by the US and her powerful European allies
after their victory in the Second World War.
Founded at a place called Bretton-Woods, in
New Hampshire, USA, the WB and its other
sister institutions were originally designed
to pool funds for the reconstruction of a warravaged Europe.
Naturally, the bank’s first huge loan was to
France, to reclaim a country that had been
ravaged by Hitler’s rascality. For 67 years
(from 1946 to date) all the bank’s 11 presidents
have without exception, been Americans and
usually, the nominees of the US President. In
deed there is an unwritten agreement - and
which has remained unbroken since
inception - that an American would preside
over the WB while a European oversees the
affairs of sister institution, the International
Monetary fund(IMF).
But so much has changed since 1946 and the
WB transformed tremendously from a
myopic capitalist institution catering to the
needs of Europe to a development institution
helping to drive global economic growth
and to build bridges between rich and poor
nations. Today, there are 187 member
countries whose finance ministers constitute
the bank’s Board of Governors. There is also

Unfinished Greatness

• Asiwaju
erstwhile Chairman of the Nigerian Ports
Authority and former south-west vicechairman of the PDP requires rigorous
scholarly study.
Tinubu has over time proved to have the
uncommon ability to wine and dine with the
devil without getting his hands burnt. At a
point during the local council funds crisis,
his information managers put up a press
release describing Obasanjo as a statesman
among other superlatives. I took him up in
my column in Vanguard newspaper then,
promising him that he would regret that
action and further admonished him to remain
steadfast and not waver on the principled path
he had chosen. But the intolerance in his
media managers came to fore as I was
viciously attacked through a rejoinder signed
by Kehinde Bamigbetan, his Chief Press
Secretary then but now chairman of Ejigbo

Local Council Development Area in Lagos,
that was published in my column the
following week. I was proved right by time
as Obasanjo truly claimed not to be what
Tinubu’s information managers unstrategically called him. He held onto the
local council funds until the expiration of
himself and Tinubu’s tenure. The funds were
reportedly released by late President Umaru
Yar’Adua to Governor Babatunde Fashola,
Tinubu’s successor in office.
Tinubu has come out of very difficult
situations in the past without blemish. He is
a cat with nine lives. He survived the
conspiracy of the older Afenifere. The public
appreciated his foremost contributions with
other leaders like Chief Bisi Akande,
Akinrogun Olusegun Osoba and Alhaji Lam
Adesina to establish Action Congress (AC)
in 2006 and later Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN), a political party that today is proudly
the fulcrum of political administration in the
south-west.
As a Senator in 1992 representing the Lagos
West constituency in the truncated Third
Republic and later frontline founding
member of the pro-democracy National
Democratic Coalition (NADECO), he
mobilized support for the restoration of
democracy and sought recognition and
revalidation for the annulled June 12
presidential election results, before he was
forced to flee to exile in 1994. He returned to
the country in 1998 after the death of the
military dictator, Sani Abacha. Tinubu has
truly paid his dues in politics.
It is pertinent at this juncture to remind
Asiwaju that he needs

EXPRESSO
STEVE OSUJI

SMS O8181624757, email:steve_osuji@yahoo.com

World Bank job: OkonjoIweala and the Obama parallel
a 25- member Board of Executive Directors
which selects (ratifies) the president. This allimportant body is highly skewed in favour
of the US and major European powers.
President Barak Obama has appointed Mr
Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American, a scholar
and health enthusiast to succeed Mr Robert
Zoellicks who leaves in June. kim has no
experience whatsoever in finance or
development economics. Mr Obama has done
what he has to do and in fairness to him, he
could not do otherwise. But the
unimpeachable fact is that Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala is the most qualified for the job today.
She studied at Harvard University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
earning a doctorate in economics. She has
been in the WB system for about 25 years
rising through the ranks to reach the position
of vice president and managing director in
charge of Africa, south Asia, Central Asia and
Europe.
It will be no exaggeration to say that
Okonjo-Iweala is almost perfect for the job:
she has the requisite education, hands-on WB
experience and the additional advantage of
running the finance and economy of her
country Nigeria; an important and peculiar
experience. Indeed, overseeing the finance
ministry of Nigeria, a job she has been invited
to undertake twice, is without doubt, one of
the most difficult assignments in the world if
we consider the mix of endemic corruption,

stark under-development that is pervasive
in Nigeria on the one hand, and the people’s
phobia for World Bank’s liberal economic
policies deemed to be inimical to developing
economies. To judge Okonjo-Iweala by her
performance in Nigeria’s haphazard system
would be as unfair as the world judging her
by the sound of her name. But even her critics
will admit that she kept her head, she
mitigated the drain on Nigeria’s national
treasury and she brought some sanity to the
system.
As WB helmsman, Okonjo-Iweala would
come into her own. This will be her ultimate
test. For the first time, the buck will stop on
her table; she would not have to subject her
actions and subordinate her persona to the
whims of her sometimes, less than capable
bosses. She would not have to tip-toe through
a mesh of intrigues or traverse the ramparts
of Nigeria’s political whoredom to achieve
the results she desires.
In summary, Okonjo-Iweala is the best man
for the job. All the other contestants, one
dares say, pale miserably beside her. It is
indeed appropriate to say that just as it would
have been an anticlimax and a low for
America had Obama lost in 2009, same way
it would be untenable if not injurious to the
essence of today’s World Bank and the world
peoples if you like, should Okonjo-Iweala be
bypassed. Let merit prevail… let’s break the
old World Bank mould!

more of people who can think strategically
in the progressive fold. He has gained
strength, courage and confidence by every
political experience he has passed through.
Much more is expected of him on the path of
excellence that he can neither afford to fail
nor falter. The south-west and the entire
country look up to him for a deepened
strategic thinking in his continuation of
meritorious leadership to the progressive
fold in the ongoing struggle for the soul of
Nigeria. Indeed, the greatness is just
unravelling for Asiwaju. —Concluded. ( My
contribution to the book: ‘Asiwaju: Leadership
in Troubled Times’ that was launched on the
eve of his 60th birthday on March 28, 2012)
Corrigendum
Last week, there was a production mix-up
that led to the use of Akinrogun Segun Osoba’s
picture rather than that of Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, the object of focus of that and today’s
article. The mix-up which is corrected in
today’s concluding piece on Asiwaju is
regrettable. My unconditional apologies for
any embarrassment such production
misdemeanour might have caused
particularly Asiwaju, Akinrogun and my
readers.

Elder Jadesola Ibidapo @ 80

One of the most amiable, peaceful and
pleasant mothers that l have ever met will
clock 80 years tomorrow. The celebrator of
tomorrow’s 80th birthday is no other person
than Chief (Mrs) Jadesola O. Ibidapo, the
mother of Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello,
the indomitably spirited and hardworking
former acting vice-chancellor of LASU and
the current deputy VC of that great institution
who is at the moment in NIPSS, Kuru, Jos.
There will be Thanksgiving service to mark
the event tomorrow morning at African
Church Cathedral, Broadstreet, Lagos while
reception follows immediately at KFA
Events Centre on Lekki Expressway.
Our mama is not just the mother of Professor
Olatunji-Bello and her siblings but a good
and caring mother to all of us that are part of
the family. Mama’s love for her darling
husband and pillar, Chief Meshack Emiola
Ibidapo, like a red wine is ever refreshing.
As mama clocks 80 today, I sincerely wish
her many happy returns of the day while
praying that peace and joy will not elude her
and Papa all the remaining days of their lives.
Accept my 80 ‘gbosas’ ma!
LAST MUG: So tey, Bill Gates dey give us
yam: Yes, the same Bill Gates, (there is only
one)the Microsoft mogul is so moved by the
warped Nigerian condition he is providing
improved yam seedlings to rural Nigerian
farmers. He noticed that yam, a common
Nigerian staple is getting so out of the reach
of poor Nigerians that many can only afford
to buy mere slices instead of a whole tuber.
Touched, Gates through his foundation has
donated N1.87b ($12m) to the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to
boost the production of yam for consumers
in Nigeria. Yam is a common staple across
West Africa and beyond. Just one state in
Nigeria can feed the entire Africa with yam
and its derivatives if we get it right.
Readers’ react: Re:ifueko and Chris, may
your tribes increase:
Steve thanks for showcasing those two great
Nigerian women (Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru
and Sen. Chris Anyanwu) especially the one
at FIRS. I am a bit skeptical about Nigerian
politicians, especially legislators but I think
Sen. Chris is trying. Jamiu Morufu, Ibadan
Thanks for your article on Ifueko and Chris
Anyanwu… for a change you praised our
leaders instead of criticizing them all the time.
Even the Bible tells us to pray for our leaders
– Ochekpa Egede, Ogoja
Good job my brother on Ifueko and Sen.
Chris. I have particularly followed Ifueko for
sometime now, I think she is a great woman;
Nigeria needs more of her type. May her tribe
increase many fold – Justin, Enugu
steve I think you got carried away this time.
All Nigerian leaders are corrupt and greedy.
Have you investigated them and found them
to be free of corruption or are you saying
that once they are performing their jobs well
that’s good enough? – Omoniyi Santos, Lagos

‘It will be no exaggeration to say
that Okonjo-Iweala is almost
perfect for the job: she has the
requisite education, hands-on WB
experience and the additional
advantage of running the finance
and economy of her country
Nigeria; an important and peculiar
experience’

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

25

PEOPLE
THE NATION

AN EIGHT-PAGE SECTION ON SOCIETY

All for Jagaban Borgu
Decked in a black suit, a white shirt, a
black bow tie and a pair of shoes,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his
wife, Senator Oluremi, in a glittering
black blouse and a long skirt with a
touch of black, were a delight to watch
on the dance floor. It was at the black
tie dinner to round off Tinubu’s 60th
birthday last Friday. TAJUDEEN
ADEBANJO and NNEKA NWANERI
were there.

I

T was the climax of the week-long celebration of the
60th birthday anniversary of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, National Leader of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN) and former governor of Lagos State.
Everything was thrown into making it a memorable night
not only for the “birthday boy” but also for the guests. The
expansive Grand Ball Room of Eko Hotels and Suites,
Victoria Island, Lagos, was tastefully furnished. The
decorators spent extra time in beautifying the hall. Twentyfour hours before the event, The Nation had visited the venue
to see them at work, cheerfully putting finishing touches to
the settings.
The guests were astonished. There were a state-of-art stage
before a computerised huge banner displaying messages
and designs, screen-like banners in strategic positions for
guests to watch the proceedings and stunning disco lights.
The event could have been mistaken for a presidential
banquet, and many of the guests were not surprised when
Ghanaian Vice-President John Dramani walked in with his
beautiful wife. Decked in black suit, white shirt and black
tie, Dramani led a large entourage from the Gold Coast.
President Goodluck Jonathan was represented by Senator
Ben Obi. They were received by Tinubu and his wife, Senator
Oluremi.
On arrival, the Tinubus stepped on to a long red carpet,
posing for photographs at the paparazzi spot. A big
backdrop branded with the Asiwaju’s 60th birthday logos
was placed behind the spot. From there, they were ushered
in to meet the guests.
Two kids presented flowers to the celebrator and his wife.
With comedian Gbenga Adeyinka and Mrs Dayo BenjaminLaniyi as compere, it was fun all the way. The glamorous
night kicked off with nice music by the Nene-led band. As
she mounted the stage with her crew, the light went out and
all eyes were fixated on the stage. After her splendid
performance, Adeyinka showed the stuff he is made of,
thrilling the audience with jokes.
A welcome address was delivered by the celebrator’s son,
Seyi.
Another musician, Bola Fresh thrilled the guests with old
school music. The organisers gave the emcee a free hand to
co-ordinate the night. Without mincing words, he gave
orders to Governor Babatunde Fashola and his wife,
Abimbola.
When Fashola asked for his tax clearance certificate, the
comedian jokingly replied: “Sir, you are the governor of
Lagos but I am the governor of tonight’s event. So, you
have to obey my orders,” the hall burst into laughter.
When Fashola’s wife answered three questions worth N6
million, the comedian asked the governor to kiss his spouse.
The questions, which were on the celebrator, are: When did
the Tinubus get married? When did Tinubu become a
Senator? and Which football club does Tinubu support? The
monetary prize won by Mrs Fashola was donated to the
Children Development Centre (CDC) in Surulere.
Fashola, however, refused to obey Adeyinka’s order. The
comedian enlisted Asiwaju Tinubu’s help in getting the
governor to kiss his wife. He consequently sought the
assistance of Yeye Asiwaju, who asked the governor to
comply. Fashola did and the audience erupted in wild
jubilation.
Several short video clips were played at intervals, one of
which is entitled:“A man of many parts.”
A veteran broadcaster, Dan Aigbagbe, read the tributes of
President Jonathan; Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)
presidential candidate Gen Muhammadu Buhari and former
military president Gen Ibrahim Babangida.
Shortly after, a drama dance group thrilled the guests with
Salsa dance before Bisade Ologunde, popularly called Lagbaja
stormed the hall. For the first time, Lagbaja led what
Adeyinka called “Bata battalion” on stage. Over 20 band
•Continued on page 26

members, dressed like Lagbaja himself
electrified the hall.
While many were looking for Lagbaja
among them, the masked musician suddenly
emerged. The audience first sighted him
behind the seats of Tinubu and other

•Aremo Osoba and wife Derin

dignitaries.
The hall yelled, everybody rose on his feet
dancing to his music.
Prof Shamsudeen AbdulWahab from
Chicago, United States proposed Asiwaju’s
toast. He described Tinubu as a born activist

•Jim Ovia (left) and Chief Pius Akinyelure

and risk taker. AbdulWahab recalled Tinubu’s
activism while in school in the mid-70s. “He
was always in the forefront among protesters
in Chicago when the US authority was
deporting Nigerians.We always marched to
the US Embassy every last Saturday of the
month,” AbdulWahab recalled.

PHOTOS: NIYI ADENIRAN AND OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

Dramani, the special guest of honour,
supervised the cutting of the cake. He
described Tinubu, whom he first met in 2008
when he was picked as Atta Mills’ running
mate, as his brother and mentor.
•Continued on page 26

Muyibat and former governors of Ogun and
Cross River states Aremo Olusegun Osoba and
Donald Duke and National Chairman of the
Action Congress of Nigeria Bisi Akande.
Also, there were former Lagos State military
governor Brig.-Gen Mobolaji Johnson; former
governor of Ekiti Otunba Niyi Adebayo;
Senator Chris Ngige; Senator Chris Anyanwu;

“He is a man with many insights. He is one
of the uncommon breed of leaders Africa is
crying for in a world where there are no more
people who can give selflessly to the people,”
he said.
Afterwards, Lagbaja mounted the podium,
thrilling the audience with songs till late into
the night with his Bata band. He kept guests

May Nzeribe, founder and CEO, Sunrise Advertising, and former Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of
Nigeria (APCON), has remained as constant as the northern star in Nigeria’s and Africa’s advertising galaxy. As a
practitioner, he has been involved in activities that have, over the past three decades, helped in galvanising advertising
practice. Yet, when you ask for his contribution to the growth of the profession, he sounds indifferent. A past
president of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Nigerian chapter and Vice-President, Association of
Advertising Agencies in Nigeria (AAAN), Nzeribe is also cerebral. His book: Political Advertising in Nigeria, published several years ago, remains a reference point in the industry. An advocate of comparative advertising, Nzeribe’s
copy on two different dry cell battery brands in the 80s stands out as a paragon of excellence. In this encounter with
WALE ALABI, he offers insights into advertising, marketing communication business and his life.

‘There’s no
textbook approach
to advertising’
Proliferation of agencies

P

ROLIFERATION in business is not peculiar to advertising agencies or business
alone. And this is not new; we’re operating in a society where everybody wants to be
his or her own boss. So, I wouldn’t want to see
this development as proliferation because proliferation means many operators or people
chasing small business. That’s a misconception.
I believe there’s still room for more but decent
practitioners to set up agencies, operate and get
involved in the economy.
And talking about the economy, especially
the productive sectors, how much have they
invested in marketing communications? Too
small! If they had injected a lot of funds in
marketing their products, the advertising
agencies would have done a lot more in the
areas of helping them to package and promote
their products and this in turn would have
helped to grow the economy the more.
However, in the same breath, I feel a lot of
advertising practitioners, without acquiring
enough experience and adequate professional
competence, are in a hurry to become managing
directors.
Miracle advertising on TV
There’s no ban on miracle advertising on TV
or any other broadcast media. If you go through
the APCON directive and the Broadcasting
Commission code, you’ll find out that nobody
has banned miracle advertising on TV or
anywhere. For instance, what the APCON directive says is: if you have to do any promotion
at all because of the inherent danger involved
in leading people on a slope, because of our
attachment to hope in life which is the major
product of evangelism, the testimonial of the
miracle to be advertised must be well documented so that it can be verified. Testimony
should contain full contact addresses and names
of the beneficiaries of the miracles. Even in testimonial which is an integral part of advertising, you don’t just advertise it without proof,
that is, the names and addresses given must be
authentic. The same thing also applies in
religious testimony.
So, if a miracle has taken place and you’re
putting it on TV, you must also go ahead and
put the full names and address so that it can be
verified that before the miracle took place, the
person or persons was or were actually afflicted
by the ailment that has been cured through a
miraculous encounter. So, nobody has banned
miracle adverts on TV. All we’re asking for is
confirmation so that the claims made can be
substantiated.
Let’s look at it from the personal spiritual
level. When Jesus was around, He did perform
many miracles. But did Jesus go to any televi-

sion station to broadcast or announce his feat?
No. Do you believe that there’s a human being
that can perform miracle? If any miracle takes
place, it was done on behalf of God. So, why
claim that you’re the one doing it? Even if God
gives you the power or gift to perform miracle,
must you commercialise it on the television? Is
that the only way to win souls? Is that the only
way to spread the word of God?
You don’t get to see miracle adverts on TV
anymore because of the stringent conditions
stipulated by the law that they must comply
with before they can advertise. Otherwise if
the conditions were not stringent they would
have continued to advertise.
Window of opportunity
We’ve said it time and time again. But then
let me repeat it. The law setting up APCON to
regulate advertising practice really spells out
certain conditions that must be complied with
by practitioners. However, in the APCON law,
unlike some other professions like law,
accountancy and medicine, there are some
limitations in its implementation. So, we
recognise these limitations.
We discovered that to sanitise the industry
we need to take some radical steps. But in taking
the steps, we have to recognise the uniqueness
of advertising practice itself. The profession
gives room to a lot of creative people from
diverse backgrounds. Over the years, they have
been running advertising agencies, although
they have no formal training in advertising.
So, what do we do with this category of people?
We examined two options. First, do we get the
police to arrest them and prosecute them as
prescribed by law? The second alternative is to
look at it and take an administrative angle. And
taking an administrative look means that since
we have been empowered to regulate the
practice, and this set of people are deficient as
the law stipulates, what we should do is bring
them into the fold, because if they’re not within
the fold we can’t enforce discipline and standard. So, that was what informed the council’s
decision on the window of opportunity programme. For example, you have a B.Sc in Sociology or B.Sc in Political Science and you’ve
been working in an established advertising
agency for five or six years, what should then

•FNzeribe

stop me from inducting you into the fold? Looking at it from a proverbial angle, I have a cloth
and you’re outside in the cold shivering, what
stops me from covering you?
Over 1,000 people were registered under the
programme. So, the programme was quite
successful. I don’t regard the window of
opportunity as a favour, rather I believe it’s
what we have to do in the course of our duty; to
look at how we can effectively regulate the
profession. It was a one-off thing. Any other
persons from now on would have to go through
our induction.
Toothless bulldog
It’s unfortunate. APCON has not lacked the
will. It only seems that way because they’ve
not been empowered to do what they’ll like to
do. For example, you may want to travel to
Britain in the next one hour. But before you
realise this goal, you need three things: you
need a valid visa, you need air ticket to take
you there and you need the ability to be able to
get there. And if you don’t have all these, does
this make you a fool living in a paradise? But if
we become look at issues very objectively, the
comment that APCON is a toothless bulldog
would not have come up because the APCON
law that you called an enabling decree merely
looks like an enabling decree, but to a large
extent, it’s a disenabling decree. Despite the fact
that APCON was put in place, it still needs a lot
of things to operate like a proper regulatory
body. For example, APCON does not possess
the same power granted to institutions like
NAFDAC, SON, EFCC and others. It doesn’t.

‘We discovered that to sanitise the industry we need to take some radical
steps. But in taking the steps, we have to recognise the uniqueness of
advertising practice itself. The profession gives room to a lot of creative people from diverse backgrounds. Over the years, they have been
running advertising agencies, although they have no formal training in
advertising. So, what do we do with this category of people?’

We are trying to address this. And I want to
believe that as a government-approved regulatory body, APCON would soon be empowered.
The brand Nigeria project
The Minister of Information and Orientation
made a public presentation where he unveiled
the Project Nigeria recently. At that event, he
intimated us with what they have in the
pipeline. As a practitioner, I would like to
reserve my comment until the time to execute
the project; there would be the need for us to
give certain input. There would be the need for
us to re-engineer our image first, at the local
level. But I think it is a worthwhile effort. However, the change in attitude or image would
not happen overnight. It would take time.
Yes, APCON was aware of the project, we
had discussion before it was unveiled. That’s
the much I can say. But don’t let’s forget that
APCON is just a regulatory body.
Cost of doing business in Nigeria
We’re operating within the system. We’re
operating within the economy. It’s difficult
running the productive sector whom we are
supposed to help improve on their business
performance. The sector is operating below
installed capacity and what affects them would
definitely affect us. Talking generally, the
economy is bad.
There might be one or two business areas
that seem to be doing well
Yes, there may be what seems like a boom in
advertising spend in the GSM sector but when
you look critically at the growth in the sector
vis-à-vis advertising the spend seems low.
Qualities of a thoroughbred advertising
professional
There’s no textbook approach to this. But in
this business, knowledge is important. You must
equip yourself professionally. You must have
a good capacity to handle people.Your human
relations must be excellent. But first and foremost, knowledge is important.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

30

Brandnews
The substandard culture

A

SYSTEM in which community members prefer inferior values and products
over superior quality others; in
which one’s own is looked down
upon in preference to another’s, to
artificiality and superficiality; in
short a practice which condemns
the followers who are actually victims of their creation to self-depreciation is vanity and sure proof of
emptiness: a substandard culture.
There is a saying that every child
praises the mother’s cooking. It is
frowned upon when a child not
only rejects the mother’s cooking
but prefers another woman’s that
is not as good as the mother’s.
True, everyone is not born
equal; some people seem to have
been short-changed: they are born
blind while some have just an eye.
But are such conditions enough for
self-denunciation?
Inferiority as well superiority
complexes come from within. They
lie in the minds. Persons who go
for inferior wares are not forced
more by lower economic fortunes
but mainly by poor mind and soul.
Some blind persons beg for a living while many not only fend for
selves in dignity but support many
able-bodied persons. Are we not
witnesses to beggars with their
two eyes and no bodily deformities and blind persons who employ
top class managers and other
skilled personnel to run their businesses?
Standard and substandard are
from the mind and soul more than
external circumstances. It is said
that necessity is the mother of invention. True; but this applies exclusively to persons who see a challenge as an opportunity, not an
obstacle. Anyone who detests a
challenge and seeks ways to bypass rather than face it boldly never
benefits from challenge and the
danger is that he must live the low
life all over.
The Federal Government set up
the Standards Organisation of Nigeria in 1971 and some commentators have said the failure of the
agency over the years was in the
nature of things; that the military
lack high standards and therefore
no moral strength to set up the
body. The critics quote the dubious cliché that says the worst democracy is better than the best dictatorship.
There are standards and there are
standards; also standards of democracy or governance per se. A bad
democracy is a fake despite what

By Joe Anatune

the operators may pretend. As for
the military establishing SON and
that assumed reason why the
agency failed to live up to its mandate is not supported by logic or
history.
The point is that standards and
standardisation go beyond merchandise, go beyond buying and
selling but reflect the true state of
life of a people. Now, can a standards body give citizens a standard
that the people and their government have not provided?
It must be near-impossible to set
and ensure high standards in Nigeria with 70 per cent of citizens
living on less than one dollar a day.
No! One hundred and fifty naira to
feed, clothe, shelter, provide personal hygiene and other necessities, daily translates to substandard living, short and simple.
Substandard wares and ways of
life exploded on Nigerians after the
civil war in 1970. For one, Igbo and
peoples of the southeast/Delta,
who survived the ravages, were in
haste to survive the peace. It would
not make sense surviving a war
only to die miserable in peace or
would it?
In any case, basic necessities such
as water, food, clothing, medicines,
housing and transport were in critical short supplies at the end of the
war. Many survivors could not
bother about quality: a semblance
of availability sufficed and for anyone who wanted quality, 10 others
were on queue who were not so
minded but eager to snatch what
was on offer and no questions
asked.
In Lagos where vast numbers of
returnees flooded, there were
houses without window or door,
without kitchen or toilet, with bare,
rugged floors and falling walls.
Anyone in need of shelter sighed
with relief to have something with
five others in tow! And if you live
in a subhuman abode, what won’t
you do to survive or keep afloat?
Don’t think that Igbos are the
main manufacturers and distributors of fake and or substandard
goods and services in Nigeria.No,
substandard became a way of life
and thus a culture as both civilians
and military regimes did not rise
to national challenges.
•To be continued
•Anatune a brand consultant
wrote in from Lagos

G Electronics, has introduced its new Multi V III
Solo air conditioner to the
market. The move came as LG
looks forward to placing more emphasis on its business in Nigeria,
where the demand for energy-saving technology is growing rapidly.
The launch, which is LG Electronics’ newest HVAC solution, is evident of the electronic giant’s drive
to always be ahead of competition
and lead in innovation by ensuring consumers’ satisfaction and
comfort is key when manufacturing products.
Combining this innovation
with higher efficiency Multi V III
Solo delivers fast response cooling
and space-saving smaller footprint.
Expectedly, this cutting edge
would make it gain significant
market share in Nigeria and Africa.
The air conditioner has three
unique benefits, which the consumer stands to enjoy. These are
the higher energy efficiency, eco
friendly, and longer piping design.
The unit’s increased energy efficiency which is boosted by LG’s
unique DC inverter compressor
technology, delivers a COP level
(coefficient of performance) of 3.5.
With a total piping length up to
150 m and a level difference of 50
m between ODU and IDU, the Multi

From left: Edwin Ikechukwu, a winner from Jos; Moses Bako from Kaduna; Chiwendu Anielo from Abuja
and Bamikole Bodunde from Abuja, at the presentation of cheques to winners in Abuja.

V III Solo provides optimum solution for small/medium-sized
building. Multi V III Solo can be
connected to max no of 32 indoor
units in any building.
“As a company with a great focus on producing energy saving
and efficient products, we are
happy to introduce the Multi V III
Solo into the market,” said Mr
Clinton Yoo, General Manager, Air
conditioning and Energy Solution
division, LG Electronics West Africa Operations.
“With this product in the market, we are in a better position to
work with our dealers and business
partners to make LG the No. 1 provider of smart and efficient HVAC
solutions,” hea dded.
The Managing Director,
Tecnicool, Mr Niyi Kolawole, said:
‘There is no better time than this to

introduce to the market an AC
with fast cooling response and
space-saving smaller footprint.
This is a great need that the LG
Multi V III Solo has come to fulfil
in Nigeria.”
The Managing Director, Blue
Ocean Technical Services, Mr
Anupam Ghosal,lauded the initiative of LG Electronics in its bid to
provide products to meet the
needs of its consumers. He said:
“Only a compassionate organisation like LG Electronics would stop
at nothing to ensure that its consumers are pleased with its ranges
of products built on innovation and
cutting edge technology.”
The Managing Director of PERABEAM, Shola Erinle said the introduction of Multi V III Solo has heralded a new era into the business
of commercial ACs in the country.

Seaman’s Ayo TV show
excites consumers

T

HE Seaman’s National
Ayo
Competition,
showing
on
select
television stations across the
country is bringing out the beauty
in the traditional Ayo game.
Based on the email messages
received so far from viewers
across the country, lots of viewers
are excited with the cultural
dance and traditional facts
segments of the show.
Ade Oluwajomiloju, one of the
numerous viewers that sent email
messages from Lagos, said: “The
Seaman’s
National
Ayo
Competition showing on Realstar
TV on Startimes and other
stations, has really awakened my
interest in traditional game.
Worthy of mention also is the
expository documentary on our
culture and tradition. Honestly, I
could not have asked for more.”
Some lucky viewers have also
won exciting prizes through the
home play segment. They
included:
Onwuteaka
Onyebuchi
from
Awka;
Omoregie Osayanede from Benin
and Michael Oladele from
Ogbomosho.
Aare Fatai Odesile, the
Marketing Director, Grand Oak
Limited showed excitement at the
rate at which the programme is
gaining prominence among the
viewers. He said Seaman’s
Schnapps, a drink that is
synonymous with culture and

tradition, was proud to be a
channel through which some of
our eroding culture are being
revamped.
He said: “We are proud that
Nigerians appreciate our little
effort at re-awakening their
consciousness to imbibe our
culture and tradition. The emails
that we have received so far are
very encouraging. Viewers at
home are also not left behind as a
greater percentage of them
consistently participate in the
home play segment. All these
point to the fact that Nigerians are
really proud of their own customs
and we shall continue to promote
the proudly Nigeria concept”.
The championship which is
being organised by Grand Oak
Limited, makers of Seaman’s
Schnapps in conjunction with the
Traditional Sports Federation of
Nigeria (an arm of the Nigerian
Sports Council) currently shows
on Realstar TV on Startimes, (on
at Sundays 10pm), NTA Awka
(Saturdays 10 PM), LTV Lagos
(Thursday 10:10 pm) BCOS
Idadan (Saturdays 11:00PM)
OSBC Oshogbo (Tuesdays, 10:30
PM and Independent Television,
Benin (Wednesday 10:30 PM), are
the other stations showing the
championship.
The programme hit the airwaves
some weeks back and has three
exciting segments: Our Game,
Our Culture and Our Heritage.

SHOPPING

31

THE NATION

Website:- http://www.thenationonlineng.net

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

e-mail: janicenkoli@yahoo.com
08033349992 sms only

email:- shopping@thenationonlineng.net

Online shopping gains popularity
Online shopping is catching
on, following technology advancement. It is also gaining
popularity as an option for
cash-less banking. It has made
shopping fun for many who
can simply select items on
their computers and have
them delivered at their door
steps. But some fear that
fraudsters may take advantage of online shoppers. But it
ought not to be so. JANICE
NKOLI IFEME writes.

T

HOSE who shop on-line
have the advantage of
shopping from the convenience of their homes or wherever they may be at a particular
time. These days, many things,
such as hotel and flight ticket reservations are done online. In
many cases, it is even cheaper. It
is not just the convenience of paying online that makes buying
over the Web enticing, but also
the advantages of finding an item
from different sources and suppliers that probably offer a more
competitive price. Many consumers
would rather sit and
•
browse the Internet for a product than walk around all day
window shopping. Even ordering for fast-food deliveries is
now done online. Many also advertise their various products
online.
Online shopping has been designed to help the shopper shop
easily. With e - commerce, shoppers are able to find the right
stores from which to purchase
goods, locate the goods that they
need, identify the prices and
even refer their friends to the
shops. The beauty of this is that
the shopper does not carry the
items with him after the shop-

ping; they are delivered to them
by post or courier services.
Most of the sites in which shoppers are linked are required to register with the shop official websites
by entering their home addresses
to which the goods will be delivered on each transaction made.
With this they are able to order for
goods online and they will be delivered instantly when ordered for.
Some sites will not accept international credit cards, some require
both the purchaser’s billing address and shipping address to be
in the same country in which site
does its business, and still other
sites allow customers to send gifts
anywhere. The financial part of a
transaction might be processed in
real time (for example, letting the
consumer know their credit card
was declined before they log off),
or might be done later as part of
the fulfillment process.
This period of Easter, many sites
offer gift items to the delight of
shoppers.
For many busy executives, who
hardly find time to go to the stores,
shopping online sometimes becomes a convenient solution. Mrs
Chinwe Emole, a district bank
manager, is one of such. She said:
“I have been enjoying online shop-

• Shop online

ping for sometime. At first, I was
skeptical about it, but somehow, I
tried it and it paid off. I first purchased an item online when I was
about doing my wedding three
years ago. Then, I was looking for
a style to make for my wedding so
I went searching some wedding
sites I had seen on Wedding TV. In
the process, I realised I could just
pick a style and order for it immediately and I did just that. It took
away the stress of going from one
bridal store to the other. I have
been buying stuffs through the web
ever since.”
An international businessman,
Mr Johnson Asuquo noted that
while shopping online could be
interesting, there is need for caution. He said: “I bought my ipad
online. I have shoes I also bought
on-line. I travel a lot so wherever I
am at a particular time, I order for
whatever I want and they deliver
it to me in any hotel I am putting
up. But I am very careful because I
have a friend who was duped, so I
only shop on selected stores”.
Just as many are getting interested in online shopping, some are
using it as a means to engage in
fraud and swindling victims of
• Continued on Page 32

• Online shopping cart

Getting the best acquarium tank
Gifts that
endear

Page 32

Page 34

Creative
Easter
for kids
Page 34

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

32

SHOPPING

Online shopping
gains popularity
• Continued from Page 31

their money.
Credit card fraud and identity
theft produces so much anxiety for
the victim and can destroy his or
her credit and financial health for
years afterwards.
Some fraudsters open false sites,
advertising various products that
do not exist. Among the popular
items for which people have fallen
victim are animal pets such as dogs
and cats. The unassuming shopper
pays for the item and waits for it to
be shipped down but this amounts
to effort in futility. Such con men
smile to the bank while the victim
is left to mourn his or her loss.
Mainly whites, especially teenagers have fallen victim to this kind
of fraud.
The one that is common in the
country is where scammers open
all kinds of accounts in a victim’s
name and even buy a house. This
leaves the victim with thousands
of dollars in debt. The majority of
fraud occurs online, so shoppers
must be careful and diligent when
they are using their credit card for
purchases on the Internet.
Another common internet fraud
is called phishing. This is when
people receive emails from people who claim to be a bank or financial institution that requests the
reader to give them vital personal
and financial information claiming that it is needed for authorisation for a large deposit to be sub-

mitted to the victim’s bank account. The victim unknowingly,
obliges and hands over the information, not knowing that on the
other end of the email is a
scammer. Once that scammer has
the victim’s information, he will
access the user’s bank accounts and
drain them all! The emails look
very professional and official. By
the time the victim realises what
happens, the money is gone, the
credit card accounts have been
opened and gone over the limit.
Unfortunately, with people constantly bombarding the Web with
their personal data and numbers,
online fraud will continue to grow,
According to the Herald Sun, more
than 50 Australians fall victim to
online banking fraud every week.
This is corroborated by bank
sources who said that these criminals make a staggering $1.5 million every month.
So, take precautionary steps to
avoid being scammed online. For
starters, never send credit card details through email. Banks do not
ask their patrons of this. Do not
click that loud, blue link that
claims it will direct one to their
account. Another precaution that
can be done is to double check the
site’s security. For instance, instead
of the usual HTTP:// it should be
HTTPS:// when paying online.
Scanning through those monthly
statements is another important
precaution. Make sure all transactions mentioned are real and le-

Getting the best
acquarium tank

• Online-shopping-coupons

gitimate. Finally, use only lowrisk cards when shopping online.
Use the normal credit cards for
purchases where a consumer has
to be physically present. Only then
can online shopping continue to be
fun for a consumer.
Protecting your credit card information
So what should consumers know
to make sure that they do not fall
victim to these predators? First of
all, these emails most often will
not address the reader by their full
names. The greetings are going to
follow the style of something like
“Dear Customer” or “Hello”.
Genuine communications by institutions and lenders are going to

have the proper name of the recipient in the salutation. Do not ever
respond to these emails; instead,
report it. You can report it to the
institution that the email looks to
be from. You can also inform your
local authorities of the email as
well. If there is a link within an
email that you are encouraged to
click on, don’t. Just by trying to access a phishing website can provide scammers with your financial
information!
To help combat this, lenders have
come up with plans to increase security and reduce the risk of fraud
that is initiated online. Sometimes
you will see sites that have been
verified by credit card companies

In choosing the best aquarium fish tank, a buyer should consider the material the tank
is made of, its size, shape and the cost. TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.

K

EEPING acquariums at home is not an
easy task. You have to change and
adapt as situation demands. If the
house is too small for a growing population
of fish, you have to upgrade quickly. If the
tank is too large for a small room or office,
you will have a space problem in the room
where the tank will be. What then are the
practical solutions?
The fresh water aquarium tank is a solid
and well -designed self- contained structure
for keeping fish in a safe, controlled environment where you should have total control over them.
Each point has its advantages and disadvantages. Of course, innovations are not
made for nothing and the long history of the
hobby is a statement to its overall success.
You may ask yourself: can I handle a small
or large fish tank? Can I have the classic look?
Or rather contemporary? Can I go with cheap
or an expensive tank?
The details below are basic information on a
standard fresh water aquarium fish tank according to the type of material the tank is made of,
its differing sizes and shapes and its corresponding cost.
A fish tank can be made of glass and acrylic.
Glass tanks are the classic types of aquarium
tanks. Since the introduction of glass during the
Roman Empire, glass in general and the glass
fish tank has undergone major changes and
improvements. On the other hand, acrylic tanks
became popular in the latter parts of the 19th
century and the tank itself has not gone through
as many changes as the glass tanks have. Both
are made of relatively good materials though
they differ in weight and performance.
A glass tank is heavier than an acrylic one and
many people prefer the acrylic type for that reason. Also, it is not as fragile as the glass type
which can break easily. Thus, acrylic tanks are
easily shipped from one place to another. From
the store or company where it is purchased to
your home or from one room in your home to
another.
Acrylic tanks require a smaller heater than
glass tanks. They are proven as better insulators
and are historically more stable in terms of temperature.
However, many still prefer the glass tank be-

and for these websites, shoppers
are taken to a different site to complete shopping transactions. Users
have to confirm their identity and
confirm the card that they are using.
Unfortunately, scammers now
create pages that look identical to
the credit card pages and shoppers
are still at risk for having their details and passwords stolen.
It is getting increasingly difficult
to recognise the fraudulent sites, so
shoppers have to know what their
intended website looks like, how it
behaves and learn to recognise suspicious details that might tip them
off to potential disaster involving
their credit card.

• A coffee table with fish tank

cause of its availability and tendency not to get
yellow over time and its strength against being
scratched. The new glass tanks with laminated
glass are a clever way to have the advantages of
both glass and acrylic.
For really large aquarium such as those in
museums and public aquariums, fibre glass is
used. Tanks can be small, medium or large.
Standard small tanks range from two to 15 gallons. Mid-sizes tank range from 20 to 40 gallons, while large tanks range from 50 to 180
gallons. These may come in various length,
width and height proportions.
It should be noted that every gallon of added
water in the tank is around 10 pounds. This
calculation is needed when choosing your tank’s
stand and a stable space to put it. It is not true
that the smaller, the tank, the easier it will be to
manage. Another principle is the larger the tank,
the better it is for the fish.
The shorter but horizontally long tank is better than a thin and vertical tank in terms of swimming space for the fish and circulation of oxygen from the surface. Of course, it follows that
with enough oxygen, fish becomes healthier and
the stocking capacity increases but the tank

should never be over stock with too many fish.
This will help to avoid oxygen depletion.
The most common type of shape for tank is
the rectangular and spherical (such as a fish
bowl) types. Modern technology has made it
possible for tanks, especially the acrylic type
to come in varied shapes such as cubic, hexagonal, L-shaped and bow-front where the
front side is convalescent.
Glass tanks have sharp edges while acrylic
tanks can appear with curved smother
edged. You can choose to be conventional
or experimental when it comes to shape.
Please be aware that the shape of your fish
tank will have an effect on the circulation
(or lack of circulation) of oxygen and
nutrients needed by your fish. Talking about
cost, glass tanks can cost two to three times
more than the acrylic tanks. However, when
it comes to very large tanks like 250 gallons
and above, the price is neutralised because
it will cost you a lot, no matter which type
you choose. Choose your tank according to
the type you can afford and maintain.
Acrylic tanks have higher maintenance cost
than glass tanks.

You should decide to choose the best tank
based on the type of material the tank is
made of, its size, shape, cost, and your
available space.
People should go for a tank that they can
afford. While it is true that any type of tank
can be considered reliable because they are
manufactured for that reason, one still needs
to keep in mind the cost associated with the
fish tanks set up and on going maintenance.
Like in any experience, there may be nuances in the beginning but as you take steps,
you will discover everything that you need
to know about your total costs to stay involved in this hobby. Just remember that
each model of tank has it pros and cons. You
may freely weigh and balance them according to your needs. Their infinite variety of
colours, shapes and movement are not only
pleasing to the eye but extremely salutary
as well.
The engaging nature of the aquarium
helps individuals to look outside of
themselves, providing a distraction from the
pressure of everyday life.
Research has shown that watching fish in
an aquarium can help promote a feeling of
well-being, generating a sense of calm and
relaxation that can reduce stress and lower
blood pressure.
Be aware that the fish tank itself will be
your biggest expense, but not your only expense. Also, be patient. You can get a good
deal on a nice tank by taking your time and
shopping around for the best deal that you
can afford instead of buying the first tank
that your eyeballs see.
The Nation Shopping spoke with some
aquarium lovers at a one stop aquarium
shop situated at Sylvia Cresent, Anthony
village, Lagos.
Ms Ikem said she owns two different typesthe tropical and marine fish and that they are
both very easy to maintain. “I love the sight
of it. It keeps my company when I am lonely,
but most importantly, it beautifies my little
apartment”, she said.
Mr Bayo Komolafe said: “Do I say I have passion for aquarium? I simply love its simplicity,
beauty and serenity. It heals as well. I own a
giant fresh water type and it is splendid. It is the
most valuable asset I own in my home and my
family has also fallen in love with it. You need
to see it at night; its beauty is just unexplainable.
Please get yours if you haven’t.” he smiled.

33

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

SHOPPING

Shopping for durable cars
If Karl Benz and other automobile inventors were to be
alive, they would marvel at the pitiable state of cars on
Nigerian roads. If people were to shop carefully and
maintain their cars, they will last longer and be in good
shape, writes OMOLARA MOFESOLA OMONIYI.

A

PART from bad roads, another reason for many accidents is poor
maintenance of cars. Brand new
cars are believed to be the best and even
though everyone prefers to buy a brand
new car, the state of the economy makes
that impossible. Many, therefore, go for
fairly used cars otherwise known as
tokunbo, which are relatively cheaper.
Consequently, the cars need adequate
maintenance to last long and be able to
withstand the dilapidated roads that
have become a death trap.
A car dealer, Mr Fasiku Jacob Adeolu,
gave insight into what to consider when
buying a tokunbo car and how to maintain it to ensure durability. He said: “The
first thing that attracts one to a car is its
outer appearance. It is good to buy a beautiful car but that should not always be the
priority, as there are other factors to consider when buying one. We have to consider other factors such as the condition
of the car engine, its durability, among
others.
“Some cars appear to look good, but their
engines have been over-used. The engine
of a car is the main component of the car.
There are many instances where people
buy second hand cars that appear clean
and fairly used but the engine starts giving problems after a few months of use;
some of these sellers actually know of the
poor condition of the car engine and still
sell them at expensive prices”.
He noted that the cost of maintenance is
also very important. “The cost of maintenance differs from one car brand or product to another. In buying a car, the buyer
should make findings and consider his/
her pocket before going for it. Fuel consumption, availability and the price of
spare parts differ from one car to another.
“For example, Mercedes products are
quite cheap because its demand is low due
to the high cost of maintenance, its fuel
consumption is very high and spare parts
are very expensive compared to Japanese
products like Nissan, Honda and Toyota
which are the most sought after products
in the automobile market.
“German brands like BMW have come
out with computerised cars that cannot
be handled by roadside mechanics; they
are designed in such a way that only spe-

• Boy’s shoes

Dear reader,
We greatly appreciate those of you who
make it a point to read us and especially
to those who send their comments. Indeed, we are poised to serve you more and
give you every valuable pieces of information on our finger tips.
As we do first Friday of every month, here
are some of your responses as space
would enable us. Please bear with us if
your comment is not published in this
edition.
Thanks a million,
Janice.

JANICE NKOLI IFEME

enough. That is why so many public functionaries indulge in money laundering. No
matter what they acquire, it is never enough for them. Ebele Umeani, Awka.
Janice, that write up on how many clothes people stock in their wardrobes is true.
What is someone doing with 200 shoes or 500 wigs? Where would the person keep
it? Na wa for some people o. Seyi Akinyemi, Ilorin.

• Adeolu

cialised companies such as Coscharis’
Motors can handle them at very expensive rates.
He continued: “If you are based in a
place like Kwara State where there is no
Coscharis branch, you would have to call
the Lagos office to send a mechanic whose
to and fro flight you will have to pay for.
They charge sometimes about N800, 000.
An average earner will not be able to afford to maintain this kind of car and may
have to go for a car that can be handled by
roadside mechanics at far cheaper rates”.
He stressed that good maintenance culture should be adopted to keep cars up to
standard. “Any little fault should be
amended immediately by experts as nonexperts will make matters worse. It is
high time we Nigerians set an acceptable
standard for choice cars. This will help
to put a close check to avoid making Nigeria a dumping ground for junk vehicles. Patronising known dealers will discourage illegal car sellers, Nigerian roads
should be kept free from death traps in
the guise of automobiles. This will keep
the nation on better global perspective”,
he added.

Kids’ shoes are the most difficult to get because they are
easily and quickly outgrown. There are rules one needs to
follow when shopping for children’s shoes, reports
OMOLARA MOFESOLA OMONIYI.

T

FROM MY MAIL BOX

I like your article with the caption ‘how
many clothes do you need anyway?’
The truth is that we like to acquire so
much. No amount of anything is ever

Ideal shoes for children
OO much money should not be
wasted on children’s wears, except
the ones for special occasions. Reason: children quickly outgrow their shoes.
Before going to the market, their feet should
be measured while standing.
As one foot is believed to be larger than
the other, the larger feet should be used to
test the shoes.
Soles should be flexible, so that it will

Shopping Right with

move with the foot. Buy shoes with soft materials, to avoid smelly and sweaty legs over
time and also to ensure durability.
Kid shoes should have a fastening system.
Avoid slip-on shoes for them. Do not purchase shoes that are not comfortable. Avoid
overlarge shoes. Some people are tempted
to buy shoes that are extra large. This may
cause a trip in which the kid may sustain
injuries.

• Girl’s shoes

‘How many clothes do you need anyway? A good topic and quite timely, with this
corruption saga here and there. It only reveals the major problem of man- greed and
selfishness. They are never contented with what they have. Some years ago, I had the
opportunity of being in a governor’s house. The number of cars I saw really baffled
me. It appears as if his family will be changing cars the way they change clothes. I
can just imagine that his daughter can even choose to drive a car which colour
matches with the dress she is wearing. I won’t be surprised. The only thing I am
saying is that they should stop their greed and selfishness. We are not saying that
they should not eat o. All we are saying is let them do something beneficial to us.
After all it is our money and we have a right to good condition of leaving. Thank you
Suleiman, Kano.
The average Nigerian is too foolish thinking a large wardrobe will elevate him or
her. Few, unique and quality clothes is it. Anonimous.
Dear Janice, thank you for educating the masses. Your piece on fashion jewellery
and quality customer service on Friday, March 23 was excellent. Keep it up. You are
the future. Nero Ogbogho, customised costume earrings manufacturer.
Janice, great write up on quality service. Keep it up - Ebi Emarah
Janice, Do it yourself was a good piece. I like the way you just pick those useful tips.
Do you know that most of the things people do to reduce cost is DIY? Almost everyone practices it. Many practice it without knowing. For instance, what will you call
that little electronic fault you fix by yourself rather than get an electrician? How
about those little stitching we do on our clothes? The other day, my kitchen sink
refused to drain water. I knew at once that there was a blockage. I disconnected it
from the pipe linking it underneath and the water poured out. I could easily fix it
through DIY without immediately looking for a plumber. Thanks for reminding us of
some important things. Yussuf Adejo, Badagry.
Hi Janice, I thank you for your good advice on shopping. Without your advice stated
in The Nation Newspaper, I wouldn’t have realised my mismanagement in spending money. Now, I go for what I plan to buy. Please keep on advising people on
shopping right. Ngozi Nwosu, Lagos.
Thanks for enlightening us on quality service. Actually, many do not know that they
have a right to good service in any store they patronise. I have seen people who
bought things that soon got bad and could not do anything about it. I have also tried
to enlighten people on it because many do not even know that there are warranty
services for most items they buy. Joseph Olojede, Teacher, Abeokuta.
DIY is a challenging way of creating new styles in anything you do and it has really
been working for me. People are always surprised whenever they see any DIY bead
work I carve out. Olowofela Taiwo, Graduate of Bead works.
Dear Lady Janice, DIY is good. I think it is a lesson that should even be taught in
schools. I don’t know what our little ones are taught in their schools. I first made iro
and buba with needle and thread when I was in secondary school. I guess that is
DIY, isn’t it?
Thanks, Tessy Ufoma, Benin.
I am an ardent reader of your column, Shopping right. I like what you are doing.
Please don’t stop the good work. Thanks Bolade Johnson, Abuja.

Write to us, express your views, observations
and experiences. Let’s have your comments
about shopping. Your comments, questions
and answers will be published first Friday of
every month. With your full name and
occupation, send e-mail to:
janicenkoli@yahoo.com
SMS - 08033349992

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

34

SHOPPING

Gifts that endear
Easter is here again. People are getting ready
to mark it in various ways. Aside cooking for
the family and guests, many buy gifts to appreciate one another. In choosing gifts, consider
the ones that would appeal to the whole family. JANICE NKOLI IFEME writes.

M

ANY stores around the
country have stocked
wares for shoppers in
anticipation of Easter on Sunday.
Store owners, who spoke to The Nation Shopping, said they will celebrate
with friends and family.
Mrs Elsie Unachukwu, a house
wife, said: “Basically, my family
and I shall go to church on Easter
Sunday. Before then, I would have
woken up very early to prepare
delicious delicacies for them. Some
of our family friends will come
around too. I have been buying
things little by little. Tomorrow, I
will do the final shopping for perishable items”.
Mrs Unachukwu’s submission
was corroborated by many. While
the period is for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ as the saviour of the
world, many use it to entertain them-

selves. Many use it to go on a brief
holiday. Entertainers also organise
shows for people to have fun. Some
also give out gifts, though not as
much as is done during the Yuletide.
Among suitable gifts for the season are personalised house wares
that would be appreciated by the
family. Gifts such as dishwashers,
microwave, ceramic coffee mug,
dishwashers, dish towel, ceramic
plates and tea sets and dinner wares,
among others, would be happily received by any family who receives
them. To add an Easter flavour to it,
it could be personalised with Easter
symbols.
Majority in western countries are
shopping for Easter bunnies, baskets
and eggs in lieu of the Easter celebration. A few people in the country also practise the Easter egg tradition.
If you are among this class of peo-

• Personalised mug

ple, you might find gifts, such as
bunny toilet lid cover, egg shaped
lotion soap dispenser and Easter egg
centre piece.
Meanwhile, on Easter Monday, the
First Family of the United States will
host the 134th annual White House
Easter Egg Roll. This year’s theme is

• Personalised plate

“Let’s go, let’s play, let’s move”.
More than 35,000 people will be joining Barrack Obama and his wife,
Michelle on the South Lawn for
games, stories and the traditional
egg roll.
In addition to all the fun and games,
the day’s activities, which will in-

clude sports courts and cooking
demonstrations, will help educate
families on smart ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise
choices into their daily routines,
which are key pillars of First Lady
Michelle Obama’s Let’s move! Initiative.

Creative Easter for kids
To make the Easter holiday worthwhile for your
kids, you could treat them to creative crafts,
writes JANICE NKOLI IFEME.

H

ANDICRAFTS are good
for kids and they enjoy
making them, if wellguided. Many schools now add
hand made crafts to their
curriculum.As you watch your children grow and learn, one of the
greatest joys is seeing their creativity blossom.
Children are naturally creative.
They learn by seeing, and exploring. They master difficult concepts
by recreating them at a child’s scale
(a laundry basket becomes a spaceship hurtling through space, for example, or a stack of blocks becomes
the world’s tallest skyscraper). If
you give them plenty of opportunities to express themselves
through art, they will have a natural outlet for all their creative energy.
To encourage their creative
growth and development, you
should establish an environment
that helps foster artistic expression.
With Easter symbols such as the
Easter bunny and eggs, the season
offers an opportunity to stimulate
your child’s creative talent and
imagination with fun crafts of bunnies and eggs. For instance, you

• Easter dish towel

could guide them through making
crafts like an Easter egg cardboard
gift box or chocolate gift pack.
Check your kitchen cupboards for
the ingredients for some play
dough.
Favourite materials are common
household items such as cereal
boxes, paper and plastic bags, milk
cartons, newspapers and egg cartons.
Brown paper lunch bags make
great crafting material; puppets,
book covers, paper chains and
more. You can even cook up a
recipe of paper mache paste and
have a blast tearing yesterday’s
newspaper and create a piggy bank
where your kids can stash their allowances. Paper plates become
masks, purses, or funny animals.
There are novel ideas for cards,
gifts, decorations and accessories,
attractive ways to jazz up a T, shirt
or create a costume, and delicious
recipes for fancy cakes and other
edible treats.
Keep art supplies accessible: Do
not lock them away in a closet;
keep them within reach in an area
where your children can use them
when they are inspired.

• Hand crocheted humpty dumpty

Have them help you pick out a
bright organiser to store their art
materials, and let them help you
decide where the supplies should
go.
Stock up on the basics: You do

• Easter bunny cookie jar

• Little mice in a box

not need to go out and buy all of
the latest paints or the craziest invisible markers that only write on
black paper. You only need the
basics: some plain white paper,
construction paper, crayons, mark-

• Hand crafted rabbit

ers, kids’ scissors, paint and glue.
From time to time, you could supplement with extras, such as glitter, sequins, yarn, pipe cleaners,
tissue paper, clay, or even scraps
of fabric to glue or stitch together.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

35

Brandnews

Guinness to spend $20m
on safe water project

G

UINNESS Nigeria Plc has
celebrated World Water
Day with the inauguration
of a mini waterworks comprising
boreholes, overhead storage tanks,
water treatment plant and reticulation network in its ‘Water of Life’
project at Jebba, Kwara State.
Speaking at the inauguration, the
Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji
Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was represented by the Commissioner for
Water Resources, Mr Abubakar
Garba-Idris, praised Guinness Nigeria Plc for meeting the need of
rural communities through
sustainable potable water supply.
“Guinness Nigeria’s kind gesture
will to a great extent improve the
significant ‘water gap’ visible in
the lives of the inhabitants of
Jebba”, he said.
According to Ahmed, the problem caused by drinking unsafe
water is so enormous that
government alone cannot solve it.
He urged other corporate and nongovernmental organisations to
emulate Guinness’ gesture in improving the welfare of Nigerians.
“To succeed in the socio-economic development of Nigeria, the
private sector and government
must work together,” he said.
Mike Onuoha, Head, Public
Policy, Guinness Nigeria, who
handed the facility to the
community, explained that the
company’s determination to
provide potable water to communities across Nigeria is one of its
principal objectives.
“Clean potable water is of immense importance to the workings
of the human body and healthy
living as it plays key role in the
prevention of diseases,” he stated.

The event was attended by the
Oba of Jebba, Oba Alhaji
Abuldkadir Alabi Adebara and indigenes of the community as well
as directors from Kwara State
Ministry of Water Resources and
the Moro council chairman.
Oba Adebara said the facility has
met the needs of the people.
Oba Adebara stated that residents
of Jebba have, in recent times, suffered water scarcity. He urged nongovernmental organisations, to
emulate the good gesture of Guinness Nigeria in providing social
amenities that will improve the
livelihood of Nigerians, especially
those in rural areas.
Ngozi Ife Anene, Corporate Communications Manager, Guinness
Nigeria, said the Water of Life
project is part of the company’s
contribution to resolving the
global concern of accessibility to
safe water in line with the UN
Millennium Development Goals to
“halve the number of people
without sustainable access to safe
drinking water and sanitation by
2015”.
Other communities that have
benefitted from the Guinness
Water of Life project are Ekiti, Oyo,
Abia, Anambra, Benue, Ondo, and
Edo.
Guinness Nigeria has signed a
partnership deal with other
organisations to launch Safe Water
for Africa (SWA).
The partnership aims to invest
over $20 million to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water
for five million people by 2015, beginning with 43 communities and
430,000 beneficiaries in Nigeria,
Ghana and Liberia this year.

Cannes Lions unveils jury list

M

EMBERS of four additional juries for the
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place from June 17 to 23, have
been announced. The juries are:
Creative Effectiveness, Design,
Film and PR Lions.
“Both as a collective and as individuals, these jury members play
a vital and integral part at Cannes
Lions as they set the global benchmark for the future of creative
communications. They have all
been chosen based on their award
winning contributions to the
industry and it’s an honour to be
able to work with them at the
upcoming Festival,” comments
Terry Savage, Chairman of the
Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity.
Each of the juries will be chaired
by their own jury president with
David Jones, Global Chief Executive Officer, Havas & Euro RSCG
Worldwide heading up the Creative Effectiveness Lions jury; Bruce
Duckworth, Creative Director,
Turner Duckworth leading the De-

sign Lions Jury; Khai Meng Tham,
Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather presiding
over the Film Lions Jury, and Gail
Heimann, Global Vice-Chair, Weber Shandwick heading up the PR
Lions Jury.
The International Festival of
Creativity, also known as Cannes
Lions, is the world’s leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the
Festival takes place every June in
Cannes, France.
As the most prestigious international yearly advertising and
communications awards, over
28,800 entries from all over the
world are showcased and judged
at the Festival.
Winning companies receive the
highly coveted Lion trophy honouring the most creative Film,
Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio,
Design, Promo & Activation, Film
Craft, Mobile, Branded Content &
Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium and
Creative Effectiveness ideas.

HE
Students
Union
Government of universities,
polytechnics and colleges of
education have hailed the ongoing
La Casera Thrill Trail Campus Activation as one of its kind for the
buzz, fun and excitement created
on their campuses.
The La Casera Thrill Trail Activation Drive, which was flagged
off in Lagos in February has covered 10 cities across the Southwest
and Southsouth, berthing at various touch points such as motor
parks, shopping malls, markets,
and campuses to engage and excite

P

freshment to tea consumption in
the country.
“Consumers are becoming more
health conscious and rightly so. The
new offerings are expected to provide the secondary need state requirement of fun, excitement and
refreshment. Further to that, with
our new offerings, we are treating
the consumers to a thrilling world
of choices,” he added.
In the Top Tea tradition, the new

Management and Technology, IMT
and Enugu State University of
Technology both in Enugu; Cross
River University of Technology,
Calabar; and River State University
of Science & Technology, Port
Harcourt.
In commendation of the La
Casera Thrill Trail, Amadi
Godswill, SUG President of River
State University of Science & Technology, hailed The La Casera
Company for its milestone in the
carbonated soft drink market and
its knack for consumer engagement.

NIMC urges banks to support national ID project

T

O ensure the smooth
execution of some of its
mandates, the National Identity Management Commission
(NIMC) has appealed to banks to
support the two concessionaires engaged to serve as the Front End
Partners (FEPs) to the project.
NIMC engaged two consortia,
Chams and Onesecurecard in July,
2010 to handle the project.
Its Director-General, Mr Chris
Onyemenam, who made the call at
the second International Conference
on Due Diligence organised by the
Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria
(CCCOBIN), lamented that after 15
months of signing the agreement,
the consortia have been unable to
raise the funds to execute their

New Top Tea variants to hit market soon

ROMASIDOR Nigeria Limited is set to launch new variants of its Top Tea brand into
the market.
They are expected to stimulate
further interest in tea drinking in
the country.
Kachi Onubogu, Marketing Director of the company, said the new
variants were being introduced to
offer consumers different choices
and also add fun, excitement and re-

consumers to create awareness for
its newly launched ICE FEEL bottle and assure consumers of the distinctive taste of the La Casera Apple Flavor.
On the Campus Activation Drive,
the trail berthed at several campuses such as the University of
Ibadan; The Polytechnic, Ibadan;
Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Adeyemi College of
Eucation, Ondo; Federal Polytechnic, Auchi; University of Benin, and
College of Education, Ekiadolo
both in Benin-City; Institute of

variants will offer consumers quick
infusion and high quality brew.
Other key attributes are exciting flavour options, convenience, good
taste and aroma.
Top Tea was launched in April
1998 to satisfy consumers’ demand
for high quality and high infusion
in teas. In 2009, Promasidor Nigeria
repositioned the brand with both
communication and packaging redesign support.

mandates.
Subject to the provisions of the
agreement, the consortia are responsible for, and bear the financial and
other risks in relation to, the design,
financing, construction, completion,
commissioning, maintenance, operation, management and development of the works and the registration centres for the purpose of the
national ID project.
He explained that the concessionaires are entitled during the

concession period to manage and
operate the assets and collect and retain such proportion of the revenues
that accrue from the use of the data
acquired and stored in the National
Identity Database (NID) for personal
identity verification services as parties may, from time to time agree,
and such other authorised business
as may from time to time be specified by the grantor subject to the
terms and conditions of this
agreement.

Firm rewards trade partners

T

HE makers of solar lantern,
d.light, in conjunction with its
trade partner, Primlaks
Limited, has rewarded its dealers in
Nigeria. The dealers were presented
with gifts worth millions of naira at
the yearly dealer forum in Lagos.
The forum was attended by the
Business Development Manager for
West Africa, Mr Emeka Nkpa; Head of
Marketing, Primlaks, Mrs. Funke
Akinloye; Head of Sales Mr Gbenga
Johnson as well as brand activators and
top dealers from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo,
Owerri, Aba, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna,
Delta and Enugu.
Speaking at the forum, Nkpa said “as
a business we have deep insight into
the importance of bonding and
appreciating our dealers as they form
the bedrock of our business expansion

and sustainability.”
He added: “We are here today to
dialogue and reward everybody that
has contributed to the business in the
last one year. It is also our wish to get
feedback on how we can promote the
business in the new financial year.”
Johnson, while reviewing the trade
performance for last year, said reward
for performance and excellence is to
encourage stake holding which will
push growth and development for the
company and its trade partners.
He said the firm is committed to
the provision of capacity building,
trade intervention, appointment of
more distributors, grant of credit
facilities, developing a robust brand activation scheme and training of distributors. It will participate in trade fairs
to promote the business, he added.

THE NATION FRIDAY, ARIL 6, 2012

36

Winning with
Quickteller

Maltina toasts consumers
with new promo

B

RANDS are noted worldwide for engaging in reward processes to garner loyalty, some offer substantial cash rewards
to lucky consumers for their loyal patronage,
while others creatively skew the pricing of
their goods and services to attract more patronage or retain loyal customers.
Yet, others offer below-the-line shows and
activations coupled with raffle draws designed
to both create fun and reward customers who
had stayed with their brands through the year.
If properly and honestly implemented, consumer reward activations can be blended with
a reward program to create and retain loyal
customers’ base for a brand. The benefits of
such a blend are multifarious for the rewarding company and diverse for the consumers.
For the consumers, there is first the joy in participation.
On another level, there is the pride for them
in emerging victorious, especially in a promotion that involves a raffle draw. The consumer of products also enjoys the feel-good
effect of being appreciated by a company with
which it has always had an impersonal relationship over time.
When Maltina, the foremost malt brand from
the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc crafted
the popular Maltina Dance All (MDA), a
unique dance reality show that encapsulates
the full participation of all members of the
family, most analysts felt that was the peak in
the brands ability to create a platform that can
project her goal of sharing happiness, and promoting family values and bonding.
However, the brand’s latest step which is a
unique National Consumer Promotion (NCP)
tagged “Maltina Sharing Happiness Promo”
where five lucky Nigerians and their families
would witness a radical turnaround in their
fortune, shows the creative ingenuity and capacity of mega brand Maltina to up the ante
from any angle. Competitors can only ignore
this frontline home brewed non-alcoholic malt
drink at their peril.
In line with Maltina’s pay-off line “Sharing
happiness”, this new promo is riding on the
wings of a brand proposition of five brand
new exotic homes at the high brow Lekki-Ajah
axis of Lagos, and other exciting prizes which
the brand intends to touch the lives of Nigerians in a way no malt drink has ever done in
Nigeria.
Putting the cards on the table at a recent press
briefing at the company’s premises, Corporate Affairs Adviser,Nigerian Breweries Plc,
Mr Yusuf Ageni, revealed that the huge success of the 2011 re-launch of Maltina with a
new packaging upgrade, new communication
and revised positioning had a positive impact
on the brand’s volume, market share and overall equity which also rubbed off on the consumers who also shared in the good fortune,
smiling home with fantastic prizes.
Ageni added that “the success of 2011 and in
response to the yearnings of our consumers,
the Maltina brand has concluded plans to reward consumers this year with a national consumer promotion, a promotion which size and
scale has never been done before in the history of non-alcoholic malt drinks in Nigeria.”
Outlining the mechanics of the promo which
will run from April 2 to May 25, 2012, the corporate affairs adviser said it “will be crown
cork-based. There will be two categories of
winning crown corks-‘instant winning crown
corks’ and ‘alphabet code crown corks’. For
the ‘instant winning crown corks’ whatever is
seen under the crown cork is what the consumer gets instantly! The prizes are shown
under the crown corks and prizes can be redeemed at any of our 1,200 redemption centres located across Nigeria.” The instant prizes
include N1 million, N100, 000, which will come
in form of a Maltina branded ATM card and
other brand memorabilia which include wrist
watches, millions of free drinks and others.
The second category he outlined is the Alphabet code combination crown corks which
would win the grand prize of a Luxury Home.
It would consist of the following letters; S – M
– I – L- E. “In order to win the grand prize,”
according to Ageni, “a consumer is expected

to collect a combination of crown corks that
spell the word S-M-I-L-E. Maltina shall be giving out a total of 5 houses. Under the letter ‘M’
crown corks; there will be special differentiated alphanumeric codes. These codes qualify
consumers for weekly raffle draws. The 5
houses will be given out in three weekly raffle draws as follows: 1st Raffle- 2 houses, 2nd
Raffle- 2 houses, 3rd Raffle- 1 house.”
He reiterated that holders of the raffle draw
crown corks can enter the raffle draws by either sending their code, name, sex, age and
address (address should include state) to 30380
or going to any of the 1,200 redemption centres to register their names and contact details. “Holders of the S-M-I-LE crown corks
will be expected to keep them as the ultimate
proof of ownership. The SMS will work with
all major telecoms operators.”
Ageni, who was represented by Mr. Edem
Vindah Media and Public Affairs Manager,
Nigerian Breweries, reminded the gentlemen
of the press that Nigeria “has recorded several milestones in its history, this year and
more importantly today, we will all be part
of making history as we witness the Maltina
brand reward its loyal consumers with five
brand new houses and amazing cash and consolation prizes for consuming the rich, creamy,
tasty nations no 1. Malt drink- Maltina.”
Also, being a responsible corporate citizen,
Maltina has reiterated her support towards
Federal Government’s drive toward a cashless society. The non-alcoholic beverage drink
has reflected this in the pattern in which cash
rewards will be given out to winners of the
promo, the first brand in the malt sector to be
doing this.
The brand’s long list of exciting gifts as rewards for consumers, have in place stipulated
branded Automated Tellers Machine-ATM
cards that will contain the amountwinners take
home. The cash categories slated for this year’s
promotion are, N1, 000,000 X 5 cash in (Maltina
branded ATM cards), N100, 000 X 15 cash in
(Maltina branded ATM cards), N5, 000 X 4,000
cash in (Maltina branded ATM cards) all in
compliance with the cashless policy.
According to Tokunbo Adodo, Marketing
Manager, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, who fielded
questions from journalists at the press conference to flag-off the campaign at the company’s headquarters in Lagos, stated that the
choice of employing the use of ATM cards
were hinged on the CBN’s directive of cashless policy and safety. “The reason this ATM
method was adopted is to ensure that we as a
responsible organisation comply with the
CBN’s directives of a cashless society, which
in a way allows the winners to withdraw conveniently at anytime they choose. Also to ensure that cash winnings like others gifts are
safely protected.”
This promo, which is arguably the first of its
kind to ever happen in the history of Nigeria,
is setting the pace not only in the type of rewards, but the first to comply with the Federal Government’s directive on the issue of
the amount of cash that flows around even as
it has been shifted to January 2013.
As a result of a successful outing in 2010,
Maltina was named “Brand of the Year” by
the Advertisers Association of Nigeria
(ADVAN).
Apart from this, Mr Idorenyin Enang, then
President of ADVAN, said the awards were
for well-deserved brands that have over the
years remained fresh. He said campaigns that
won this year (2010) must have impacted positively across the world as well as have cultural acceptability as it relates to Nigeria “especially in use of the media.” Maltina was also
endorsed by the Nutrition Society of Nigeria.
Since it hit the Nigerian market in 1976,
Maltina has consistently satisfied its consumers with high quality natural malt drink, fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. It
is the first and only malt drink officially endorsed by the Nutrition Society Nigeria. This
provides Nigerians the vitality and superior
nourishment necessary for their daily activities - including those special fun moments
shared with friends and loved ones.

T

O serve their customers better
major telecoms companies, cable
TV operators and state
governments have seized the opportunity
offered by Quickteller platform, which
allows service providers to give simple
and convenient way of rendering better
services to customers and citizens
effortlessly through this platform.
Quickteller is the Interswitch value
added service platform that provides
airtime recharge, utility bill payment and
payment for goods and services across
ATMs,
PoS
and
Online
at
www.quickteller.com.
Giving the breakdown of the top rated
service providers that have joined the
platform since inception in 2009, Group
Chief Marketing Officer of Interswitch,
Mrs. Tito Adeniyi-Aderoju, said the list of
service providers and billers cut across
different segments of the economy
including telecommunication, banking,
aviation, entertainment and oil and gas
among others. She explained that billers
are interested in making life easier for their
customers by providing them with
payment channels that are convenient to
use.
According to her, leading cable TV
operators in Nigeria including DSTV,
HiTV and myTV are leveraging the
advantage proffered by the Quickteller
platform to ensure their customers can pay
their subscriptions and get immediate
value. Customers paying through ATMs
or online at www.quickteller.com are
connected immediately payments are
made using the Quickteller platform.
Two major Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) IPNX and Swift Network are also

on the platform. Other corporate entities
that have hooked up to the Quickteller
platform are UBAMetropolitan,
GTAssurance, Aero Contractors and
several NGOs (Non-Governmental
Organisations) including Freedom
Foundation and Red Cross Society of
Nigeria, who are all making it easier for
their customers to make payments for
goods and services.
Various state governments are also
leveraging the Quickteller platform for
collections of various taxes and levies
from corporate organisations and
individuals within their states. She further
stated that Mobile Network Operators
such as MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat, are
offering their consumers value-added
services using the Quickteller platform.
With Quickteller, instead of getting a
paper printout with the recharge PIN, a
subscriber’s mobile phone can instantly
be credited with the appropriate amount
within a few seconds of payment, making
it easy to send airtime to family and friends
as there is no need to scratch, it reduces
errors of texting the pin and saves time.
Subscribers using the Quickteller platform
can load any amount of airtime from as
low as N50 to N3,000 depending on the
mobile network or channel used.
It is a win-win situation for billing
organisations she said, as they can view
and verify all payments made from the
comfort of their offices whilst giving
instant value to customers. To access the
service, customers can use their Verve and
MasterCard Verve debit cards online at
www.quickteller.com and anywhere they
see the Quickteller sign at the ATMs.

‘With Quickteller, instead of getting a paper printout
with the recharge PIN, a subscriber’s mobile phone can
instantly be credited with the appropriate amount within
a few seconds of payment, making it easy to send
airtime to family and friends as there is no need to
scratch, it reduces errors of texting the pin and saves
time. Subscribers using the Quickteller platform can load
any amount of airtime from as low as N50 to N3,000
depending on the mobile network or channel used’

Niger Deltans rise for their man in Lagos
They stormed Lagos in their numbers. They came all the way from the Niger Delta to honour one of their own, Kingsley
Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, who was decorated as Maritime Man of the Year 2011,
last Friday. KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR was there.

•Chief Clark (left) presenting a plaque to Kuku

•Mrs Briggs flanked by Dokubo (left) and Ateke Tom

H

E proved that his appointment was not a fluke. The
calibre of people at his investiture as Maritime Man of the
Year 2011 showed that he is on the
ground back home in the Niger
Delta.Kingsley
Kuku,
the
president’s Special Adviser on
Niger Delta Matters, stood tall last
Friday in Lagos as his people rallied round him as he received the
award.
The irrepressible Ijaw leader
Chief Edwin Clark was there, so
also were former Niger Delta militants leaders like Asari Dokunbo,
Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tom
Polo) and Ateke Tom. Despite the
distance, they all travelled to Lagos
to show solidarity with Kuku, who
exuded joy in seeing them.
The hall of the Oriental Hotel,
Victoria Island, Lagos venue of the
event, was filled with elders, leaders
of thoughts, activists, youth crusaders, players in the maritime sector and
lawmakers.
The former militants were also in
attendance to a honour man that has
piloted the amnesty programme,
which they described as a lofty initiative by government.
It was a reunion of sorts for many
stakeholders and leaders of thought
in the Niger Delta region.
Comedians and musicians lit up
the night with jokes and songs.
Guests exuded joy throughout the
night.
Setting the tone for Kuku’s investiture, Asu Beks, the Chief Executive Officer of Maritime Media Limited, organisers of the award, described the presidential aide as one
of the uncommon persons that have
shaped the lives of youths from the
Niger Delta region, especially in
maritime and related fields.
The choice of Kuku for the award,
Beks said, did not come as an accident.
“At the Presidential Amnesty
Programme he is overseeing, he has
contributed immensely to building
local capacity for the maritime sector, as more youths from the region
are being trained in related fields.
“Using the amnesty platform, he
has put the interest of the maritime
industry first in his order of preference in the training of ex- Niger Delta
agitators,” he said.
It is not a surprise, Beks said, that
the amnesty office had trained 3,000
youths in marine-related fields as
at January in institutions within and
outside Nigeria.
“This, no doubt, is a big boost to

•Prof Clark (left) and Dr Owola Sodipo

•Capt. Adejimi Adu (left) and Mr Kabowei Akamande

•Alhaji Suleiman Hassan (left) and Mr Andrew Pinneh

•Hon and Mrs Abayomi Kiyomi

•Col. Godfrey Okoro (left) and Mr Newton Owi

•Mr Stephen Eche (left) and Mr Geoffrey Kwale

the manpower base of the nation’s
maritime sector,” he said
Clark congratulated Kuku on the
award expressing delight over his
rise.
He described Kuku as a shining example among the young men propagating the region’s cause.
Clark said it would be improper
for anybody to criticise Kuku on the

“Casualties”, as his favourite.
He described the award as a tonic
that will spur him to do more for
the region.
“Today is not the celebration of
an award. It is merely a reminder
to the fact that Nigerians are
keenly watching what we are doing. It is a reflection of the job
that God has used the President

amnesty programme, adding that it
is wrong for anybody to challenge
the government for giving attention
to the Niger Delta.
The arrival of foremost poet, Prof
John Pepper-Clark, enlivened the
hall.
Kuku saluted the prof’s intellectual sagacity with the numerous poems he has written describing the

PHOTOS: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE

to achieve for Niger Delta people
and the entire country, to
stabilise the security of the region, through the amnesty
programme, he said.
Among those in attendance
were Ebikabowei Victor-Ben
(a.k.a Boyloaf) and Bibopreye
Ajube.

38

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

SOCIETY

‘She’s
more
than a
jewel’
What do you give
your wife when she
turns 50? A lavish
party, you would
say. Bayo Onanuga,
Managing Director/
Editor-in-chief of The
News, went beyond
throwing a party for
his wife, Oluwatoyin
Olamide. He also
serenaded her,
throwing guests into
ecstasy. NNEKA
NWANERI reports.

•The celebrator (second left) assisted by her husband Onanuga (left) and other members of the Onanuga family

W

ITH his serious looks, no
one will ever believe that
Bayo Onanuga, the Managing Director Editor-in-chief of The
News has a soft side to him. Last
Wednesday, he displayed that soft
side when he sang a song for his wife
of 23 years. It was at the 50th birthday of the woman who has walked
beside him for over two decades.
The song was to renew his love for
Oluwatoyin Olamide whom he described as being more than a jewel. It
was a show of his appreciation for a
woman who has been with him
through thick and thin. As he burst
into the love song, the guests mostly
journalists joined him in singing the
evergreen Haruna Ishola’s song:
Bobinrin ba dara ti ko ni wa
mi o le fi one kobo fe
Ti obinrin ba lewa
To tun niwa
mo le fi one thousand fe
He also spoke of how he met his
wife, saying: “The day I saw her was
the day I married her. I knew she was
my wife the minute I set my eyes on
her and for 23 years since May 1989,
she has been an amazing woman
who never ceases to amaze me daily.
Throughout my trying times in Concord newspaper, she has been very
supportive. She is what every man
needs in a woman and I cherish the
day I met her. She is my greatest critic
when I write. She is more than a jewel
if there is anything more to be called
and I thank God and her parents for
giving her to me”.
The Events hall of the Lagos Television (LTV 8) Agindingbi, Ikeja,
Lagos was filled. Though the event
held on a working day, guests still
turned out in large numbers.
Purple was the colour picked for
the event and most of the guests were
decked out in it.
The reception was preceded by a
church service in the same hall.
There was dance and music.
The celebrator could not contain
her joy as she moved round, acknowledging cheers and exchanging
pleasantries with guests. Many also
posed for photographs with the
‘birthday girl’ and the paparazzi kept
clicking their cameras.
She told The Nation that she is grateful to God for bringing her husband
her way.
She described him as a great supporter.
“My husband is priceless”, she said,
beaming with smiles.

It was a gathering of academics as the Michael Otedola College of
Primary Education (MOCPED) Provost Prof Dhikrullah Akeusola
celebrated his 50th birthday. MEDINAT KANABE was at the
school’s auditorium, Epe, Lagos, venue of the event.

H

•Mr Fashanu (left) and Hon Surakat

I

T was the maiden edition of the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers
of Nigeria (CIPPON) awards.
CIPPON rewarded some members for
their solidarity and achievements in the
printing industry. .
As the awardees stepped out to receive their
plaques, they gleamed with joy. They had
invested reasonable time and energy on the
development of the institute and it was payback time.
One of those who bagged awards from the
institute was the Senior Manager, Human
Resources, Nigerian Security Printing and
Minting, Mohammed Datti, whose birthday
coincided with the awards.
Datti was born into a lineage of printers
and has been in the business for over 32 years.
Guests sang him the ‘Happy Birthday’ song.
CIPPON’s President/Chairman of its council, Mr Wahab Muhammed Lawal, said the
selfless services of the 29 earned them their
awards.
He recalled how millions of naira is lost
yearly to the flight of printing jobs to other

‘It is a peculiar
profession only for
those who are
ready to go
through the mills’

PHOTOS: NNEKA NWANERI

countries.
“It is a peculiar profession only for those
who are ready to go through the mills,” he
said.
He said the institute is putting the necessary machinery to licence printers throughout the country.
Otunba Solarin Lawal, the President of Rotary Club of Ikeja, who chaired the occasion,
said though he is not a printer, he set up a
printing press 40 years ago to publish a book
he wrote.
Lawal encouraged the institute to build
capacities in the printing industry.
Special guest of honour and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Evan Brothers Publishing, Ibadan, Mr Gbenro
Adegbola, was represented by Mrs
Funmilayo Ayorinde.
Adegbola congratulated the awardees.
As publishers, he said, printers are the end
result and they are ready to partner to ensure good quality printing and put an end to
piracy in the business.
He expressed optimism that there are still
quality printers in the country.
He lauded the council members, whose effort allowed for the gathering.
A N20 million fund raiser for its Practical
Training Centre was launched, after which
there was presentation of licences to printing houses.
Among guests at the event were the Minister for Information, Hon Labran Maku, represented by Mr Sunday Baba Adejo of the
Ministry for Information; the Chairman of
Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Hon Kemi
Surakat; Adams Audu represented the Lagos
State Commissioner of Police; and Hon
Babatunde Isiaq.

OW can one explain a party meant
for 50 invited ending up with over
500 guests?
The Michael Otedola College of Primary
Education (MOCPED) Provost, Prof
Dhikrullah Oluranti Akeusola, was surprised when he saw dignitaries walking in
in such a large number.
At a point, he was speechless, wondering
how many came about the knowledge of
the event.
He could not but beat the emotion by embracing the "uninvited guests".
It was at his 50th birthday and the school's
auditorium was full to the brim.
The party started 12pm with prayers.
The celebrator was called to the stage. He
sat there alone.
There was a cultural dance from the Cultural and Creative Arts Department of the
institution, music and dance from the
MOCPED International Nursery and Primary School and French presentation from
MOCPED international Secondary school.
Afterwards, the celebrator's citation was
read by Dr Oluwakemisola Idowu-Osho.
Highpoint of the ceremony was a book
launch.
The book From Zero to Hero was written
by the quartet of Dr Ayo Yusuff, Toyin
Lamide; Dr J.O.S. Banjo and Tayo Mabeweje.
The 183-page book chronicles the life of
Akeusola.
Yusuff was called upon to read the cognomen (Oriki) of the celebrator which he
translated to English.
Lagos State University (LASU) Vice-Chancellor Prof John Obafunwa congratulated
the celebrator on impacting positively on
many people.
Obafunwa supervised the launching of
the book.
Encomiums were poured on the 'birthday boy'.
Former Lagos State Commissioner for
Education Prof Olakunle Lawal described
him as an epitome of tenancy and determination.
Lawal said the celebrator has continued
to be a rolling stone that has been gather-

ing many mosses.
Prof Tunde Ajiboye from the European
Languages Department, University of
Ilorin marvelled at the celebrator's scholarship.
“For those of us who have had the opportunity of seeing Olu grow, perhaps nothing can be more gratifying than seeing him
become so rapidly a big fish in his field,"
he said.
Former Dean School of Science, Adeniran
Ogunsanya College of Education, Mr
Adetunji Oloyede, described Akeusola as
hardworking, creative, energetic with
sound initiative and managerial skills.
“I wish you a happy birthday and God's
continued guidance, “ he said.
National Open University of Nigeria
(NOUN) Deputy Registrar John Ubaji
wished him best of good things.
“I worked very closely with Akeusola
when he was the Dean of School of Arts
and Social Sciences in NOUN. One thing
that struck me about him was that there
was something different about him. He
makes things happen around his environment. He is a man of action. With him there
is no dull moment. I am proud to be associated with him as he celebrates his 50th
birthday," he stated.
The elated ‘birthday boy’ said he is very
happy, fulfilled and highly delighted.
He said determination led him to where
he is today.
"I didn't work for up to 21 years before I
became a Professor of French and Comparative Grammar. If you are determined and
believe in yourself, you will make it," he
told The Nation.
"My greatest regret was that I was relying too much on my father's wealth. The
comfort given to me at a tender age made
me believe that I could get anything at anytime. When I lost my father in 1983, I had
to buckle up, “he added.
According to him, the book was a surprise from his friends.
He urged youths to always work hard and
not rely on their parents to become something in life.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

40

SOCIETY

WHAT AND WHERE?

The Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Ikorodu last Sunday concluded its
18th Annual Synod with a thanksgiving service at the church premises; the occasion coincided with the Palm Sunday. AMIDU ARIJE reports

In praise
to God
T

•Uduaghan

HE Synod is a yearly
gathering of the Com-

municants (members) of the
Methodist Church Nigeria
to assess and make decision
on the way forward for the
coming year. It started on
Wednesday, March 28, this
year with a Holy Communion while the opening ceremony came up the following day at the church’s premises.
Basking in the euphoria of
the success of the synod, they
gathered on Sunday to give
thanks to God.
Their guests trouped in as
early as possible to rejoice
with the Diocese for the
thanksgiving and Palm Sunday.
Top on the A list of guests
on the occasion is the
Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba
Salawudeen Oyefusi, his wife,
Olori Muyibat; Lisa of IKorodu
Chief Zacheus Odusog;
Odofin of Ikorodu Chief
Kabiru Shotobi; Chief
Mufutau Odusoga; Noah
Jaiyesimi; Falola Odubote; Mr
Tunde Ajumobi among others.
The event was anchored by

Coronation

T

OMORROW, the
Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel

T

Not minding the situation
of the country, he stressed that
Nigerians should not be despair of the blessings of God.
Oba Oyefusi sang praise
songs when he was asked to
give a talk at the service.
The monarch enjoined the
people to move nearer to God.
“My advice for our people
is that they should move
closer to God so that God will
continue to hear and accept
our prayers,” he said.
Revd Odejayi said the
theme of the Synod was to
bring hope to Nigerians in
spite of the many challenges
facing the country.
“There is hunger in the
land; millions of people are
in extreme poverty; many are
dying every day from malnu-

Wedding

ODAY, former Miss Olawunmi Olomola and her beau
Temitope Fadun will be joined in holy matrimony
at the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos.
The reception will follow immediately at the AdeyemiBero Auditorium, Lagos State Secretariat Alausa, Lagos.

•From left: Bishop Odejayi; Oba Oyefusi and Olori Muyibat

the Bishop of the Methodist
Church Nigeria, Diocese of
Ikorodu, Revd Olumuyiwa
Odejayi.
Revd Odejayi’s melodious
songs and dance thrilled the
church members as they
danced to different songs in
appreciation to God’s favour
on them.
He said the congregation
must thank God for seeing
them through the event successfully and having witnessed the end of another year.
The Bishop of Ijebu Revd
Adegbemi Adewale delivered
sermon at the event.
He urged the congregation
not to lose hope of God’s
blessings on them as He had
promised to always do new
thing in their lives.

trition, lack of adequate
medical care and many are
destroyed daily by the insurgent of Boko Haram,” he
said.
He, however, stated that
there is hope for the nation.
“I want to assure us that
God has not and will not
and will never abandon this
nation, so your trust in Him
will not be in vain,” he said.
In his message to the
Synod, the Prelate of the
Methodist Church Nigeria,
Rev Sunday Makinde, lamented the increasing unemployment in the country in
the country.
“Unemployment of our
young ones at all levels of
education, in our country,
has contributed largely to the
danger of insecurity of life
and properties in our nation,” he said.

N Sunday, The
House on the
Rock will hold its
Amazing Grace Service
(A Special Communion
Service) at the Eko Hotel
Expo
Centre,
Victoria Island, Lagos.
Pastor
Paul
Adefarasin will deliver
the sermon while music will be supplied by
The Chosen Generation.

T

Burial

ODAY, the remains
of the Chief Executive Officer of Dinta
Risk and Insurance
B r o ke r L i m i t e d C hi ef
Dede Ijere Ogwo will be
laid to rest after a fun e r al s e r v i c e a t S t .
Andrews Presbyterian
Church,
Abuo,
Amogudu, Abiriba.
A thanksgiving/outing service will also
hold at the same church
on Sunday.

•Oshiomhole

Shana and Mr Karimu
Maliki.

Conference

OMORROW, the Muslim Association of Nigeria
(MAN) will hold its triennial conference.
The event is billed for the association’s secretariat
at Bola Kadiri Street, Shasha, off Oyegbemi Street,
Alimosho, Lagos.
The conference with the Theme: National integration in
Nigeria: Islamic solution will be chaired by Senator Ganiyu
Solomon.
Lagos State University (LASU) Political Science lecturer,
Abdur-Rahman Olalekan Olayiwola will deliver the lecture. Lagos State Governor Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, his
Osun State counterpart Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Oba
of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu are expected at the event.

Conference

•ICDA Chairman Alhaji
Olumide Olufowobi

Mr Oluwatosin
Idowu and Mrs
Olanike Idowu
during their wedding

Eweta Uduaghan, will
present the Staff of Office
to the Ovie of UmiagwaAbraka Kingdom Air
Vice-Marshall Lucky
Ochuko Ararile at a coronation.
The event will take place
at the King’s Palace, Oria,
Abraka, Delta State
The ceremony will be followed by a thanksgiving
service on Sunday at the
First Baptist Church, Oria,
Abraka, Delta State.

T
T

HE Imodi Community Development
Association (ICDA)

will on Sunday hold its
maiden conference at St.
Mathew Church’s Recreation Hall, Imodi-Ijebu,
Ogun State.
The conference, which has
the theme Community development: Challenges and repositioning of CDA in ImodiIjebu, will be chaired by the
Trio of the Baba Ijo of St.
Mathew Church, Chief
Abiodun
Talabi,
Arowosadinni, Imodi-Ijebu
Alhaji Ganiyu Mustapha
and Chief Deji Adeleye.

Conjugal

OMORROW, the children of Otunba Morakinyo
Hanson and the late Lateef Saka, Onikepo
Omowunmi and Oluwasegun Ahmed, will marry
at the Methodist Church, Opebi, Awuse Estate, Ikeja, Lagos.
The reception follows immediately after at 10 Degrees
Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos.

O

SUN State House of
Assembly Speaker
Hon Najeem Salam,
his deputy, Hon Akintunde,
among others will be honoured
by the Ansaru-ud- Deen Society of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter at its Annual Congress.
The event will start today
with a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba
Omowonuola Oyesosin; this
will be followed by a special
Jumah service at the society’s
mosque.
The congress is meant to discuss issues that will see to the
progress of the society.
Other guests on expected on

Award

•Hon Salam

the occasion include Osun State
governor, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola, his wife Alhaja
Sherifat Aregbesola and Muslim organisations in the state.

•Compiled by Damilola Bamidele, Aminat Adesina and Abike Adegbulehin

"Bayern Munich are a quality team with
excellent players. We (Real Madrid) expect to
play a good game in Munich and resolve the
tie at the Bernabeu and reach the final.”
Friday, April 6, 2012

Pepe:

•Pepe

Bayern can
accomplish anything
•Badstuber

R

Aimar:
Individual quality
saw Chelsea through

P

Badstuber:

We'll overcome Bayern Munich
EAL Madrid defender Pepe believes that Los Blancos will be able to
overcome Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League in
order to book their ticket to the final.
Jose Mourinho's men qualified for the final four by beating APOEL 8-2 on
aggregate in the quarter-finals to set up a date with their continental rivals from
Germany.
Pepe is expecting a difficult tie against the Bavarians, but is confident that his
side can go all the way in Europe's elite club competition.
"Bayern Munich are a quality team with excellent players. We expect to play
a good game in Munich and resolve the tie at the Bernabeu and reach the final,"
Pepe was quoted as saying on the club's official website.
The centre-back insisted that Madrid are
not thinking too far ahead as they are
solely focussing on La Liga for now.
"We only talk about the match
against Valencia because of
how much will be at stake for
us."
Madrid defend a sixpoint lead over rivals
Barcelona in the Primera
Division.

ABLO Aimar has voiced his
disappointment with Benfica's
Champions League elimination as
he believes that Chelsea's individual
quality made the difference in their
quarterfinal tie.
The Portuguese side was beaten 2-1 at
Stamford Bridge after losing the first leg 10 at home, but Aimar stressed that
Benfica deserved better than two losses.
"I think that we played our own game,
and we did it very well. Some things
didn't go for us and they had the
individuals to see them through to the
semifinals of the Champions League,"
Aimar said to uefa.com.
"We're talking about a
team [Chelsea] that have lots
of great individuals. You
don't get a big window of
opportunity against them.
In matches like this it's
very hard. I thought we
played a good game.
We were coming off a
very difficult defeat in
the first game, but I
•Aimar
think we deserved to
win."
Benfica resumes
domestic action on April 9
when it travels to Sporting
Lisbon.
The Benfica playmaker
feels that the Premier League
side's individual class made
the difference in the
quarterfinals but argued that the
Portuguese giant deserved
better.

Real Madrid defender Pepe looking forward
to the two-legged UEFA Champions League
semi-final clash between the Los Blancos
and the Bavarians.

•Di Matteo

Di Matteo
plots Barca upset

I

NTERIM Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo is looking forward
to pitting his wits against Barcelona in the Champions League
semi-finals.
The Blues secured progress to the last four on Wednesday night by
seeing off Portuguese side Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.
Chelsea boasted a 1-0 lead heading into the quarter-final second leg
at Stamford Bridge and looked to be cruising through after Frank
Lampard's first-half penalty was followed up by Maxi Pereira's 40thminute dismissal for two bookable offences.
However, Benfica attacked after the break and forced a nervy
ending when Javi Garcia nodded home five minutes from time. Raul
Meireles netted in stoppage time to settle proceedings and set up a
semi-final encounter with reigning champions Barcelona.
"It will be exciting to play two games against probably one of the
best teams in the world," Di Matteo said. We will find a strategy that
will suit our players and our team to face Barcelona.
"I think it will be a combination [of playing to our strengths and
attempting to cancel out their players]. They obviously have some
individual players that are a big threat and very dangerous, but we
also have to play our game and play to our strengths.”

H

OLGER Badstuber has
suggested that Bayern
Munich is more than capable
of beating Real Madrid when the two
teams lock horns in the Champions
League semifinals.
The Spanish giant secured passage
to the last four with an 8-2 aggregate
victory over APOEL on Wednesday
night, while the Bavarians coasted
past Marseille, beating the French
side 4-0 over two legs.
Jose Mourinho's side is widely regarded to be among the
favourites for the competition, but Badstuber says his side
has no reason to approach the game with fear.
"From now on, anything is possible," the 23-year-old told
Bild. "We can accomplish anything, really. It's all in our own
hands. We'll have to invest a lot for that.
"If we continue like we did over the past few weeks, I
have a very good feeling."
Despite standing on the brink of European glory,
Badstuber urged his teammates to shift their focus back to
domestic matters, starting with the Bavarian derby against
Augsburg on Saturday.
"We all know that the Bundesliga is the top priority," he
said. "Everyone must be focused. Against Augsburg, it will
be difficult. They're in a good run of form, and they're
always willing to go the extra mile against Bayern. They'll
be very eager."
Jupp Heynckes' side is currently second in the
Bundesliga, three points behind Borussia Dortmund with
just six rounds to go.
The 23-year-old believes that the Bavarians have no
reason to fear Real Madrid on current form, but urged his
teammates to focus on domestic matters in the mean time.

Morais

delighted with
Madrid swansong
A

P O E L
F C
midfielder Nuno
Morais said there
could have been no more
fitting venue for the end of
his team's European
adventure than the Santiago
Bernabéu where the Cypriot
champions succumbed to
tournament giants Real
Madrid CF.
Ivan Jovanovic's side
knew before kick-off in the
Spanish capital that they
faced an onerous task
trying to claw back a 3-0
first-leg deficit and the Liga
leaders quickly moved out
of sight in the tie by
registering first-half goals
through Cristiano Ronaldo
and Kaká. The visitors
rallied after the restart,
however, and despite
conceding three more
times, were happy to hit the
target twice themselves
thanks to Gustavo
Manduca's fine finish and
Esteban Solari's 82ndminute penalty.
"It was fantastic playing

against Real Madrid, they
are one of the best teams in
the world," Morais told
UEFA.com afterwards.
"Obviously it was difficult
but I think we gave a good
impression of ourselves
and we are happy with the
journey we've had in the
Champions League this
season."
APOEL's incredible foray
into European football's
elite competition began
almost nine months ago
away to Albanian side KS
Skënderbeu in the second
qualifying round. Then,
after eliminating ŠK Slovan
Bratislava and Wisla
Kraków in further
qualifiers, they became the
first Cypriot team to reach
the knockout stages having
topped a group that
contained FC Zenit St
Petersburg, FC Porto and
FC Shakhtar Donetsk.
Olympique Lyonnais fell in
the round of 16 before
Madrid arrived in the last
eight.

43

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

POLITICS
THE NATION

E-mail:- politics@thenationonlineng.net

Following the March 24 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP that produced a new leadership, the
newly elected helmsmen are giving indications of what to expect. Tuesday’s unexpected resignation of the chairman of
the Board of Trustees and meetings held with the Southwest leadership have sent out signals of the executive’s priorities,
reports Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE.

PDP: Can Tukur chart new course?
N

EWLY elected national
chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur may be
courting controversy from his first
day in office. Some stakeholders in
the party have been kicking
against certain persons perceived to
be angling to become close aides to
the chairman.
The names of Alhaji Habu Fari and
Mr. Kenny Martins who are being
seen around Tukur lately have continued to generate controversy
among the leaders. While some see
Habu Fari as a member of the National Democratic Party (NDP),
Martins is still associated with the
infamous Police Equipment Fund
baggage. Opponents of the duo insist that Tukur, who is known for
his independent mindedness and
frank disposition, may be weakening his defences were he to bring
Fari and Martins on board.
In his trade mark open
mindedness, Tukur had advised
President Goodluck Jonathan to focus on the economy rather than get
himself enmeshed in politicking.
Many viewed the statement as a
bold attempt at putting things in the
right perspective, saying that the
President would be doing himself
and the nation a world of good if he
could heed the advice.
A recent statement had quoted
Tukur to have come down very
hard on the various suspects in the
Police Pension Fund scam. He reportedly commended the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) for prosecuting the suspects
and vowed that the PDP would
work together with the National
Assembly to strengthen existing
relevant legislations in that respect. Tukur had added that the
party would soon undertake a
multi dimensional engagement
with the Federal Government with
a view to broadening the dragnet
of the anti-corruption crusade.
“Our vision for greatness cannot
be transformed into reality in the
horizon of corruption. Corruption
has eventuated a severe disjuncture between the promises of greatness and the virtual lots of the mass
of our people. As part of our rebirth agenda which is in line with
the transformation programme of
the PDP led Federal Government
therefore, the PDP is ready to orchestrate a change in the tapestry
and tenor of the war on corruption”, the chairman added.
A visit to the national headquarters of the party showed little to be
going on. The chairman and his
executive had reported in the secretariat immediately after the convention to formally take over and
signal the commencement of a new
era. Shortly thereafter, however,
the officials chose to go on a break
to enable the Christians celebrate
the Easter festival with their families, while others could take a rest
after the hectic campaign leading
up to the convention.
Who are these officials and what
is to be expected of them?

Bamanga Tukur
As the new national chairman,
Tukur is coming in at a time that
the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) is in dire need of a principled
leadership to pilot the affairs of the
party. Tukur has made a name for
himself as a reputable businessman
and politician with appreciable
grasp of the Nigerian political and
business environment. He is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on running the party,
particularly in terms of his political clout and his connections in the
business world.
As chairman of the African Business Roundtable, Tukur is generally presumed to be in a better position to guide the ruling party in
the right direction in matters of
political and economic policies as
they affect the Nigerian people.
With Tukur at the helm of affairs,
many are wont to believe that the
ruling party has been spared of
garrison commanders and yes men
who preceded him in office. They
are firm in the conviction that
Tukur would not be inclined to issuing threats to dissenting voices
neither would he be answering
“sir” to state governors. Strong
willed and independent minded,
the new chairman may turn out an
asset to the ruling.
But many fear that those who ensured his emergence as chairman
might have different reasons other
than the common good, for pushing his candidature through. Opinions are still divided as to whether
his advanced age constitutes an asset or liability to the party. It is too
early to tell.

Olagunsoye Oyinlola
A connoisseur of the good life,
this ex soldier cum politician had
been on the right side of the power
balance both as a soldier and a politician. A former military administrator in Lagos State and former
Osun State civilian governor,
Oyinlola can hardly be described
as a political neophyte. Though he
can be credited with the requisite
experience to efficiently discharge

the duties of party scribe, his background and orientation in politics
may stand in the way of disinterestedness when the chips are down.
A politician of the conservative
school, Oyinlola may not be willing to stick out his neck in a clash
of interests between the party and
the powers that be. With little pressure, the happy go lucky prince
from Okuku may rather prevaricate than turn against the powers
that brought him to office where
the interests of the godfathers are
at stake. He is more likely to play
safe than to rock the boat.
However, given his long standing tradition of loyalty to those in
authority, Oyinlola may turn out a
great asset to his mentors He is not
likely to embark on any power
tussle that could rob him of the
good life. It is not yet clear whether
his longstanding relationship with
former Military President Ibrahim
Babangida would affect his role as
secretary with President Goodluck
Jonathan as national leader.

Olisa Metuh
This new national publicity secretary is a man of many parts. A
young man and lawyer, Metuh is
known to have always had a good
relationship with the media. He is
said to have a good disposition to
the press and this could now serve
him and the party in good stead.
Olisa Metuh is not given to euphemism neither does he know how
to call a spade by any other name.
He is frank, blunt and down to
earth in his dealings with both his
political friends and foes. There are
fears that the festering sore in his
Anambra home may get in the
way, but a combination of this
former Southeast zonal chairman
of the party and the national chairman could do the party some
good..

Kema Chikwe
She has acquired enough public

service experience as a former
minister and ambassador.
Chikwe’s emergence as women
leader did not come to many as a
surprise, given her exposure at
the national level, even though
there was stiff opposition from
Imo State where many party
members thought she had benefited enough from appointments. Her long years of loyalty
to ex President Olusegun
Obasanjo seem to have paid off.
And this time around, she is taking up a less troublesome portfolio at the party level. She will
be shielded from the scathing
public criticisms that saw her being deployed from one federal
ministry to the other under the
Obasanjo Presidency. Like her
predecessors in office, her major
responsibility will be to mouth
women empowerment and ensure adequate representation of
women in public and political offices, either on conviction or as
mere sloganeering.

Mbu: Ode to a trailblazer
(A tribute by the Government of the State of Osun)

R

ARE were your feats when
you emerged from a political vista called Nigeria. Decades after, yours have remained
a reference point in trailblazing,
at least, within this clime.
Mathew Tawo Mbu, an Ambassador extraordinaire came to a final end on March 6, 2012. For
about five decades, he remained
in the consciousness of Nigeria
and those watching her affairs globally. From a humble start as parliamentarian at the age of 23;
graduating to become an Ambassador to the United Kingdom until 1959, Nigerians watched the
gradual rise of a lawmaker, a nationalist, diplomat, lawyer and

politician who would remain a
major player in the determination
of the affairs of his fatherland.
Since his return to Nigeria in
1960, his journey in public life had
continued unabated. He served in
different capacities ranging from
Minister of Defence and Naval Affairs, member, Constituent Assembly which drafted the 1979 Constitution; Chairman of the Eastern
Nigerian Public Service Commission; and in various other capacities that kept him in the minds of
many Nigerians.
As a politician, he exuded love
for Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe though,
Mbu later pitted his tent with the
NPN after leaving the Nigerian
Peoples Party, a party where he

served as the National Vice Chairman.
Of course, during the military interregnum, Mbu had remained at
the back bench only to come forward again when he was returned
to his well-known turf, diplomacy
in the 90s as the Foreign Affairs
Minister during the short-lived
term of Mr. Ernest Shonekan’s Interim National Government (ING).
No doubt, he will be remembered
for his various contributions both
as a nationalist, lawmaker, diplomat, lawyer and a champion of the
course of his people.
History shall definitely remember Mbu as one of those who left
indelible marks in their paths.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

44

POLITICS

Orji, Ufomba renew rivalry in Abia
Correspondent UGOCHUKWU EKE reports moves by Governor Theodore
Orji to woo the people of Aba with the commissioning of projects, even as the
war of words between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) continues. He spoke with key
stakeholders in both parties.

A

BA was agog last Friday as the
Abia State governor, Chief
Theodore Orji, commissioned
the newly reconstructed UkwuMango road that had suffered neglect
for 25 years.
Speaking with journalists in
Umuahia when he returned to the
state after the PDP national convention in Abuja, Orji said that he was
poised to change the face of the state.
Orji who was represented by his
Chief Press Secretary, Mr.
Ugochukwu Emezue, said Aba was
dear to him and that it explained his
decision to spend about N5 billion
on giving the commercial city a
facelift.
He said that the commissioning of
the Ukwu-Mango road would help
increase economic activities in the
market and the town, thus boosting
internally generated revenue accruing to the state government.
The governor said that from Friday, “I will be in Aba to commission some finished projects starting
with the commissioning of the pedestrian bridge built at the entrance
into the Abia Polytechnic for the
safety of students of the institute”.
He said that the idea of building
the pedestrian bridge was conceptualized after seeing the number of students and those who go there to do
one business or the other being
killed by overspeeding vehicles virtually on daily basis.
Orji said that after commissioning
the pedestrian bridge the next project
to be commissioned will be the
Danfodio road by East Street, stressing that the road in question has
never been tarred.
The governor explained that the
last project to be commissioned in
Aba will be the old express road also
leading to Ariaria market, while the
next day, some of the roads in
Umuahia like the Umukabia Ohuhu
road and the Okwueyi road.
The governor described the condemnation of his administration by
the All Progressives Grand Alliance
(APGA), as the ranting of a failed
political party and its governorship
candidate, stressing that their aim is
to distract him, assuring that they
will fail the same way they failed
during the elections and at the tribunal.
The frosty relationship between
the governor and Aba people came
up as Orji said he would continue to
work for the whole people of the
state without any form of discrimination.
He said, “I am always pleased and
excited to be in Enyimba city to meet
with our citizens and you know that
you are always on my mind, despite
what seems to be an interminable
‘cat and mouse relationship’, you remain the primary concern of our
government”.
The governor noted that if previous administrations had done what
they were supposed to do in the city
and the entire state, the amount of
funds being spent now would have
been used for other things.
“There is no amount of intimidation from any quarters that will
make this administration to shy
away from its responsibility to
move the state forward. We are determined to do this difficult job, initiating original, prime projects and
tackling the seemingly impossible
ones”, the governor said.
Orji explained that some of the
projects being commissioned had
been left unattended by former governments, “But we have done them
with the mind to help expand the
city, with the safety implicationsoften ignored by our people and also
to maintain the aesthetic value of the

Niger State has the lowest national poverty rating, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics.
In this interview, Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu’s
Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, sheds
light on the concerted efforts that led to the feat. JIDE
ORINTUNSIN reports.

How Niger State’ll
conquer poverty

I

•Orji

• Reagan

city”.
He said that the projects he had
commissioned would help in the
vehicular and human movement
and also assist in the development
and fast flow of business activities
in Ariaria market and other business
concerns in the city, “This is just the
beginning of the good things to
come to the state in the next three
years”.
He said, “With these new projects
we commissioned, we will soon begin to exploit the larger effects and
gains, as well as begin to address all
the access roads in Aba, even where
restorations and reconstructions are
already going on”.
The governor during the commissioning ceremony said that with the
commissioning of the projects at
both Aba and Umuahia, that he
wants to tell the opposition parties
like APGA that they are not on
ground to know what his government has been doing to uplift the
standard of the state.
The governor’s action has led to
division in APGA. Emeka
Nwachukwu, a chieftain of the party
took exception to the actions of the
governorship candidate of the party
in the last general election, Reagan
Ufomba. He warned Ufomba to desist from disparaging the person of
Abia State governor, Theodore Orji
and go back to the drawing board
for the next election.
Speaking with newsmen in
Umuahia over the recent call by
Ufomba asking the governor to resign, Nwachukwu said that the
former governorship candidate of
APGA is not the leader of the party
in the state and cannot speak for it.
Nwachukwu said that Ufomba lost
at the governorship poll because he
did not campaign during and before
the election, adding that he should
not blame his failure on anyone but
himself.
He said, “I am challenged and provoked by the vituperations and misrepresentation of facts and falsehood
geared towards deceiving the people
of Abia state, by Ufomba which has
led to diversionary atmosphere in
the state”.
The APGA chieftain said that he
ran to represent the people of
Umuahia/Ikwuano federal constituency, and “I owe it as a duty to the
constituency and indeed the entire
state to put the record straight in the
face of false allegations aimed at
deceiving the people and distracting
the government of the day”.
Nwachukwu noted that Ufomba
had ascribed to himself as the disciple of the late Dim Emeka Ojukwu,
“when he has no affiliation to the
late Igbo leader when he was alive,

Ndigbo are known to have respect
for the dead, for their souls to rest in
eternity, and so he should stop disturbing the spirit of the great
Ojukwu”.
He said that Ufomba joined the
party barely three days to the party
primaries and moved through the
back door to purchase his ticket
against the more credible candidates, “it is obvious that he was not
capable to lead the party since he
has no political clout, financial
muscle to face a candidate like Governor Orji”.
The APGA chieftain said, “Ufomba
was the worst APGA governorship
candidate among other candidates
in the state during the last election,
as he ran did not run a issue based
campaign but was busy doing mudslinging”.
Nwachukwu explained that from
the campaign issues raised by
Ufomba during his campaign that it
was clear that he has no idea of what
he wanted to do for the state, stressing that he was busy looking for the
platform to sell the APGA party.
He said that the party had been
hijacked by evil forces in the state,
pointing out that they can steal the
body of the party and not the soul
and that the evil forces had merely
succeeded in killing it in the state.
The acting council chairman of
Isiala Ngwa North local government area, Onyeukwu Nwogu also
joined the fray as he described the
statements credited to Ufomba as
unfortunate. He described the APGA
candidate as a politician who has no
base. Nwogu said that Ufomba has
no moral ground to criticise the governor considering his antecedents.
Nwogu expressed confidence in
the performance of the governor
and said that the people of Ntigha
clan where Ufomba hails from and
indeed the entire Isiala Ngwa North
are happy with the landmark
achievements of Governor Orji.
A former council chairman, Ginger Onwusibe, berated Ufomba for
his cynicism notwithstanding the
tangible transformation in all the
sectors of the economy in the state.
Onwusoibe said that the defeated
APGA governorship candidate does
not have the temperament of a
leader, pointing out that it is only a
sadist that will fail to see the good
works of the governor since he assumed office.
The war in APGA is raging. It is a
house divided against itself. As the
main opposition party, and with the
decisions by the elections petition
tribunal and the Appeal Court in
favour of the governor and the ruling PDP, there may be no distraction in the second term.

T’S a great accomplishment for the
Chief Servant, Dr Mu’azu
Babangida Aliyu and members of
his executive council who have stood
behind him in the last five years. In
the last five years or thereabout, the
PDP-led government in Niger State
took deliberate steps aimed at delivering on the promises it made to the
electorate. So, the rating by the National Bureau of Statistics is adjudged
recognition of hardwork and dedication to the service of the people and
humanity.
In specific terms, what would you
say the state did that earned it this rating?
As you know, things do not just happen; people make them happen. The
success that we have recorded between
2007 when Dr. Aliyu took office as
Governor of Niger State between and
now is a product of a well thought-out
action plan that was put together to
drive the process of promoting the
welfare of citizens so as to engender
the desired change necessary for
growth and development. At the inception of the administration, government reinvigorated the machinery of
governance through rapid reforms of
the public service. The Chief Servant
then moved on to embark on developmental projects that has brought succor to the electorate.
What are the priority areas?
Key sectors of human development
as health, Agriculture, housing, education, social security and rural development enjoyed adequate attention.
Government has a free education
policy which takes responsibility of
sponsoring the education of all children of school age who are resident in
Niger State irrespective of their tribes
or religious beliefs.
Meaningful change is also noticeable
in the lives of Nigerlites courtesy Dr.
Aliyu’s strategic intervention in the
area of health care delivery in the state.
New hospitals have been built; old
ones refurbished and equipped to meet
the ever increasing challenges in health
care delivery. The package also takes
adequate care of free ante natal care
for pregnant women and free medical
care for the aged and children.
The state has never had it so good in
terms of infrastructural development.
Bad roads that hitherto made driving
through the state capital a nightmarish experience have all been rehabilitated, expanded and made motorable.
The state has equally constructed and
commissioned several roads across the
three senatorial districts in the state.
Some of the roads that have been built
by the current administration include
Kutigi-Fazhi Road, Batati-Dabban
Road, Luma-Babana Road, BonuGurara waterfalls Road, Mokwa-Raba
Road just to mention a few. The reconstruction of major roads in Kontagora
is also ongoing.
We have also keyed in to Millennium
Development Goals framework as a
guide post for achieving the eight developmental targets endorsed in 2000
by world leaders under the auspices
of the United Nations General Assembly. And we have made tremendous
impact in all the areas from reduction
of extreme poverty and hunger to
achievement of universal primary education and from reducing child mortality to the promotion of gender
equality and women empowerment,
Governor Aliyu has done very well.
Apart from the MDGs and SUBEB
where the state collaborate with the

Federal Government to implement programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the
people, iin which other sector or
sectors would you say the state has
done creditably to deserve its current rating?
Like I told you earlier, there is
hardly any sector where the current
administration has not stamped its
seal of excellence. In the area of Agriculture for instance, Niger State
Government has de-emphasized the
mundane approach to agricultural
practice which focuses mainly on
tractor hiring, grains distribution
and fertilizer procurement/ distribution to farmers, even where such
was unnecessary. And the reason is
simple— there is so much more to
agriculture in a fast changing world
than fertilizer allocation and tractor
hiring. It is the Chief Servant’s belief that it is not enough merely to
glorify our potentials without taking concrete steps to realize these
potentials for the economic prosperity of the state and our nation.
It is for this reason that we are exploiting our natural endowments
and agricultural resources to drive
our economic re-engineering efforts
towards the realization of our vision
of becoming one of the top three
most developed economies in Nigeria. Governor Aliyu started by
strengthening the Buffer Stock
programme by procuring 6,272.3
metric tons of assorted grains from
farmers to encourage them to produce more and to stabilize the market prices of the commodities for the
benefit of the public. This intervention is continuing.
Government has also reintroduced
the Farm Institutes Scheme in all the
senatorial districts of the State to create employment opportunities for
our youths in line with our strategic
Youth empowerment programmes.
We have also focused attention on
agricultural
research
and
consultancy, horticultural crop production, nutrition and household
food security programme and irrigation development schemes. But
most importantly, government has
mobilized rice cooperative groups
in the State to form rice clusters to
enhance rice production, packaging
and marketing for domestic consumption and export.
The result of this effort is that we
have retained our 2008 position as
the largest rice producer in Nigeria.

•Aliyu

45

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

Obi cleans up
Anambra
•Continued from Page 17
in recovering the money as well as
tarring the road to his factory.
The state Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Mike Egbebike,
who recalled the sacrifice the governor makes for the good of the
state, said that the Governor was
committed to environmental cleanliness, not just for the purpose of
good health of the people, but also
to create the environment that
would allow business to blossom.
He informed that he was happy
that refuse is littered around receptacles now as evidence that
people no longer pour their
refuse inside the water channels
but have started bringing it out.
He said once the receptacles and
trucks are delivered, refuse will
no longer litter the streets as they
would be packed out immediately. He said the state has
achieved its three targets of
proper receptacles of waste,
proper management and proper
payment by the public for waste.
He informed that the revenue
from waste has risen from far below N10 million a year to far
above N50m a year now, adding
that government was putting up
efforts to raise more money
through waste disposal and management. He said with the law on
waste management and appointment of waste managers things
would be alright soon. Egbebuike
further said that the Ministry now
buys back plastic waste at N100 per

•

•The trucks
kilogramme.
The state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Kay Onyechi said that
due to Obi’s revolutionary approach to education, the sector has
changed completely from what it

used to be. According to her,
Anambra schools now have buses,
well equipped science laboratories,
computers and other modern learning aids. She said that the amazing
thing in all this is that he channeled

Imo to mediate in kingship tussle

T

HE Imo State government is
set to inaugurate a commission of inquiry to investigate
claims that some traditional rulers
do not have the mandate of their subjects. The commission will also probe
the allegation that the monarchs only
ascended their thrones by the grace
of certain well-connected individuals.
His Royal Majesty, Eze Samuel
Agunwa Ohiri who chairs Imo State
Council of Traditional Rulers, revealed this when the people of Isiala
Oparadim Development Union, in
Ahiazu Mbaise Council Area of the
State visited the stormed the Council
Secretariat with litany of complaints
against their traditional ruler, HRH
Eze Isidore Azika Ijezie Atughara.
The monarch said he was confident
that the Okorocha administration is
committed to listening and address-

From Emma Mgbeahurike,
Owerri

ing the problems of the people.
He assured them that once the committee is set up, their grievances will
be handled by the committee, advising them on the need to be Law abiding by ensuring adequate maintenance of peace, stability and unity of
purpose in their community.
The Chairman regretted some administrative lapses created by previous administrations in the State with
regards to recognition of traditional
rulers assuring that the present State
Government is committed in rectifying them,
Speaking, Sir Joseph Duru, the immediate past President General of the
Autonomous Community who led
the delegation expressed gratitude to
the administration of Owelle Rochas

Okorocha and noted the resolve of
his people to remain supportive and
co-operative to the Rescue Mission
Administration.
Duru who accused their Traditional
Ruler HRH Eze Atughara of being
high-handedness, greedy and insubordination on matters affecting the
members of the Autonomous Community passionately pleaded on the
urgent need for the State Government’s Intervention.
The Community leader reported
that their populace does not want their
Traditional Ruler to be part of the
forth coming 4 tier government
which HRM Eze Ohiri countered by
saying that so far as the State Government has not withdrawn the Staff
of Office and Certificate of Recognition of the Traditional Ruler that he
is still the Legitimate Traditional
Ruler of the Community.

some of the things donated to him
for private use into the schools.
Members of the State Executive
Council, traditional rulers from
the 177 communities as well as the
President-Generals of town unions

T

HE Nigerian Project on Science
and Technology Education at
the Post Basic Level (STEP-B)
has donated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to 17 institutes and faculties in
the University of Calabar.
The gesture, Project Manager of
STEP-B, Professor Emmanuel
Ezedinachi, said was to aid the institution aid produce higher quality and
more relevant research and teaching.
He said the project aimed at Nigerian education and research institutions and their partners to produce
more and better qualified science and
technology graduates at the post basic level.
Vice Chancellor of the University,
Prof James Epoke lauded STEP-B for

in the state and the transition committee chairmen of local government and their members graced
the occasion which ended with a
facility tour of Innosson Company
by the guests.

Organisation
donates ICT
tools to varsity
From Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

the gesture, saying it was a rare one.
He urged the heads of the institutes
and faculties to ensure the equipment are used adequately used.
Chairman of the committee of
deans, Prof Robert Etor who responded on behalf of the recipients,
assured that the equipment would be
put into maximum use to achieve the
aim of the project.

Monarch urges more effort against
HE people of Obudi-Agwa
kidnapping
Autonomous Community in

T

Oguta Local Government Area
of Imo Statehave been commended
for their effort in checking kidnapping and other criminal activities in
the area but they have also been enjoined to do more in keeping these
vices at bay.
His Highness, Eze Samuel Agunwa
Ohiri who is Chairman, Imo State
Council of Traditional Rulers made
the appeal when the people and leaders of Obudi-Agwa Development
Union led by Mr. Johnson Hezekiah
stormed the Council Secretariat with
some complaints.
The royal father assured them that
their reports and grievances will be
communicated to Governor Rochas
Okorocha and would be addressed
soon.

From Emma Mgbeahurike,
Owerri

Speaking, Mr. Johnson Hezekiah
who was the spokesperson of the
group said that since last January their
community has been under the siege
of armed robbers and kidnappers.
Hezekiah who said he is a Community Leader pointed out series of
efforts they have made to frustrate
the kidnappers and the hoodlums but
regretted that a prominent son of
Mbano Agwa Autonomous Community and their daughter married in
Obudi Agwa has been frustrating
their efforts.
He appealed to the royal father
and state government to call the accused persons to order to avoid them
taking the laws into their hands.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

46

More bursary for Delta Law School students

D

ELTA State Governor Dr.
Emmanuel Uduaghan
has announced a 100 per
cent raise in the bursary paid to
law graduates of the state’s origin in law schools across the
country.
The governor who announced
the increase from N50,000 to
N100,000 per student while pre-

From Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

senting cheques to the beneficiaries in Asaba, said the increase
would take retrospective effect
from the last batch.
He directed the Chairman of the
State Scholarship Board, Buchi
Aniyem to prepare a supplementary estimate to accommodate the

Uduaghan said he has no regret investing so
much in the bursary programme, stressing
that human capital development was central
to the economic transformation of the state
•Uduaghan

expenditure.
Governor Uduaghan said his
administration spends about N1
billion yearly on bursary and
promised to sustain the project.
He said he has no regret investing so much in the bursary programme, stressing that human
capital development was central
to the economic transformation of
the state.
He decried the unwholesome
attitude of students union bodies
towards the programme, stressing that the government would
not allow student unions to take
over the functions of the State
Scholarship Board.
The governor said it was the
statutory function of the State
Scholarship Board to disburse
bursary to students, adding that

the state government was not prepared to shift that responsibility
to student union bodies.
His words: “Let NADESU behave and be orderly. If the body
fails to change its attitude we will
do what is necessary. We will no
longer take unruly behavior from
the union.”
Uduaghan who blamed the student union body for the mix-up
in the scholarship list of beneficiaries, said the scholarship
board was already working hard
to rectify the problem.
Delta Commissioner for Higher
Education Prof. Hope Eghagha
enjoined the beneficiaries to be
good ambassadors of the state especially as government was providing the scholarship in spite of
competing demands.

Philanthropist builds
church for community

F

ORMER Vice President Dr.
Alex Ekwueme, Anambra
State Governor Peter Obi and
his wife Margaret were among
dignitaries who attended the inauguration of a cathedral in
Umunnamehi, Ihiala, Anambra
State.
The structure was built and donated to the community by one of
its illustrious indigenes, Dr.
Obinna Uzoh, a lawyer.
At the event, the Apostolic Nuncio and Representative of
the Catholic Pontiff in Nigeria,
Most Rev. Augustine Kasujja
advised Nigerians to eschew violence and embrace dialogue as a
way out of their problems.
Kasujja was speaking at the
dedication of All Saints Catholic
Church built by Uzoh.
The quiet community of
Umunnamehi, Ihiala witnessed
an unprecedented crowd ever recorded in the annals of its history. The magnificent church the
donor built in memory of his parents, the late Chief Simon and
Justina Uzoh stands on an expansive piece of land. The church
boasts state-of-the-art equipment,
well-fitted marbled altar and
golden worship ornaments. It is
also complemented with a tastefully furnished Parish rectory
and a Blessed Sacrament chapel
all made possible through one
man’s effort.
To ensure enough space for the
church, the rectory and other allied infrastructure, Uzoh bought
parcels of land elsewhere and
exchanged them with pieces of
land called Okpuno Ndudoani.
Security agents had a Herculean task controlling both human and vehicular traffic as people that cuts across tribal lines
and languages, businessmen,
community leaders, clergymen,
politicians, government func-

From Emeka Attah, Onitsha

tionaries, students and elders all
converged to glorify the Lord for
what He had used the man to accomplish for the community.
The youth coordinator, Transform
Nigeria
Movement,
Anambra State chapter, Comrade
Obinna Omenugha gave more
insight on the reason why the
church dedication witnessed
such an unprecedented crowd.
He said: “The donor of the
church building, Dr. Obinna
Uzoh is a detribalised Nigerian,
a friend of the youth, a social engineer, a true nationalist, an accomplished business guru, a legal champion, an epitome of humility, a true family and society
builder, a mentor and a practical
Christian who has selflessly invested his time, talent and treasures in nation-building. So, this
is an honour well deserved and
we share in the joy.”
Among the dignitaries that attended the event were about 10
bishops and archbishops, over
100 priests, Speaker, State House
of Assembly Hon. Princess
Chinwe Nwaebili, Deputy Governor, Mr. Emeka Sibeudu and
wife, the National Chairman, All
Progressive Grand Alliance,
Chief Victor Umeh, Former VicePresident of Nigeria Dr. Alex
Ekwueme, Minister of State Foreign Affairs Prof. Viola Onwuliri
and husband, leader of Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)
Chief Ralph Uwazuruike and so
many others.
Among the Catholic Bishops in
attendance were those of Sokoto,
Mathew Hassan Kukah, Minna
Diocese Martin Uzoukwu, Archbishop Val Okeke of Metropolitan Archdiocese of Onitsha and

Today gives us opportunity for reflection.
If Christ comes here today in this church
will He be happy with all of us or will He
bring out a horsewhip and cane all of us
like He drove the Pharisees out of the
temple? Nigerians are too religious yet so
corrupt. We export religion yet we are rated
as the most corrupt people in the world

•Dr. Uzoh and family receiving gifts from Papal Nuncio, Kasujja

others.
Condemning the spate of bombings in Nigeria, the Nuncio Archbishop Kasujja appealed to Nigerians on the need to embrace the
message of ecumenism as demonstrated by the Pope. He said
that “dialogue is the new form of
evangelization.”
He thanked Governor Obi for
correcting the injustices of the
past through the recent return of
schools to churches.
In a special homily which held
the people spell bound, the host
bishop and the Catholic Bishop
of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev.
Hillary Odili Okeke thanked God
for the gift of Obinna Uzoh, even
as he urged all Nigerians to turn
away from evil and worship God
in truth and honesty.
“We are celebrating our faith in
God. In some western countries,
churches are closing down and
giving way to dance clubs, gymnasiums, and casinos. But here,
God has continued to bless us
with the gift of faith which shows
that we share in God’s love. May
God bless anybody who contributed in any way in this building
project?
“Because we work by faith not
by sight, we see what people do
but we believe God who sees their
heart rewards them abundantly.
Some use their God-given resources to foment trouble in their
communities, others use theirs to

oppress people or to accumulate
earthly properties for themselves
and their generations yet unborn.
“Some also use theirs to store
treasury bills in United Kingdom
and other places abroad, but
Obinna Uzoh has used his own
to make the house of God better
for the people of his community.
This is the best investment and
may God bless those who invest
in His work,” he said.
Bishop Okeke said that church
dedication carries much significance. He, therefore, urged all to
respect the sanctity of temples of
worship. He also advised Christians to be holy since the church
is holy instead of wearing hypocritical garb like the Pharisees.
“Today gives us opportunity for
reflection. If Christ comes here today in this church will He be
happy with all of us or will He
bring out a horsewhip and cane

all of us like He drove the Pharisees out of the temple? Nigerians
are too religious yet so corrupt.
We export religion yet we are
rated as the most corrupt people
in the world. A Christian must
not do if you can’t beat them you
join them,” he said.
In a remark, Governor Peter Obi
described Obinna Uzoh as a good
man and an exemplary Nigerian
who plays politics without bitterness.
Recounting his encounter with
Uzoh during the campaign for the
2003 governorship elections in
Anambra State, Obi said: “Both
of us brought freshness to
Anambra politics. While we campaigned in all parts of Anambra
State, we compared notes every
night and swapped campaign
venues also. Even after the elec•Continued on Page 48

48

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

I feel very happy today because there is peace. By the
grace of God I think we will have peace for ever. My
message to the Niger Delta youths is that as people
live together, problems will always come but the
ability to manage problems is what is important

F

OUR years after Gbaramatu
Kingdom in Warri South
West Local Government
Area of Delta State was razed by
the Joint Task Force (JTF), the Ijaw
people of the kingdom have celebrated the Egbesu Amaseikumor
Festival in Oporoza, their traditional headquarters.
The Egbesu deity is believed to
be the strength of the Ijaw people, in general and the
Gbaramatu in particular, whose
youths held federal troops in a
bloody duel that lasted several
weeks. During the clash prominent Ijaw towns including
Okerenkoko, Oporoza, Kurutie,
Benikrukru and others were
straffed by helicopter gunboats in
2009.
The Pere of the kingdom, Godwin Bebenimibo, DSP (rtd) JP,
Oge Gbaram III, said since the
invasion of the community, the
people have continued to show
resilience and commitment to the
peace effort of the federal government adding that they have also
shown that they are ready for the
much talked about development
to arrive the Niger Delta.
The Pere said: “The Niger Delta
people have always prayed for
sustainable development and the
Gbaramatu people in celebrating
the Amaseikumor festival have
indicated that they are prepared
for peace, unity and prosperity.
That is what our forefathers have
always celebrated over the years
and this celebration will continue to emphasise that point.”
The former Special Adviser to
the President on Niger Delta and
chairman of the occasion, Mr.
Time Alaibe, said, “The Egbesu
Amaseikumor festival signifies
peace, unity and prosperity of the
Gbaramatu kingdom. And I am
personally committed to this
process and I if you must recall,
as at the time when this community was challenged I was the
first government official that arrived here. Today I am delighted
to be here, seeing the resilience of
this community is all build up

•Chief (Mrs) Vero Smooth, Chief Dennis Otuaro and Mr Timi Alaibe

Four years after JTF attack, kingdom celebrates
From Shola O’Neil, Warri

again because it all signifies prosperity.
“I am here to encourage you as
an Ijaw man from Bayelsa State
to continue to maintain the same
disposition like your forefathers

in celebration of this festival as
always maintained. I identify
with you at this moment as I have
always identified with you. I pray
the almighty God will ensure that
as you celebrate this festival that
you continue to see peace, unity,
prosperity and sustainable development for the Gbaramatu peo-

ple, for the Gbaramatu kingdom
and of the Ijaw people,” Alaibe
added.
High Chief Government
Ekpemukpolor, (alias Tompolo),
who was a key player in the crisis that engulfed the kingdom, expressed joy that peace had finally
come to the people of Niger Delta,

Philanthropist builds
church for community
•Continued from Page 46

tions and I became the governor,
we still maintained the friendship as he will always offer useful suggestions on how to move
our state forward.”
The APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh described building for God as the
wisest decision on earth. He encouraged people to emulate such
acts for promotion of people’s
spiritual growth.
“With this kind deed, Obinna
has stored his own treasure in
heaven where no thief can steal
it away because this magnificent
church will add to the spiritual
growth of this community.
“As a man who has understood
the essence of living and serving
God, there is no better way to run
our Christian race than to do
things that will promote the work
of God, charity and love for one
another. I think what he has done
is worthy of emulation.
“Looking at what he has invested in putting this church together, you will believe that the

money is enough for him to acquire properties and estates even
outside the country but he chose
to put it here. This is a wise investment and I call on people
who are equally blessed like him
to put their money in the work of
God,” Umeh said.
Taking a deep reflection on the
journey so far in his life and outpouring of emotions among the
people that converged to witness
the church dedication, the donor,
was overwhelmed with joy.
He recounted how he started
his business years back with a
paltry sum but promised God that
if he blesses the fortune in his
hands, then he will use his
wealth to assist humanity.
”Today, I stand before you
honoured and humbled as Solomon was to build a temple for
God from a business enterprise.
Gocuz Nigeria Limited which I
started in 1987 with only N5, 000
has today grown into conglomerate of many companies. In spite
of being a successful businessman, I was able to pursue an academic career that earned me B.sc
in Business Administration, M.sc

•Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi (right) and Princess Chinwe Nwaebili

in Marketing, LLB in Law, BL
from the Nigeria Law School, and
PhD in Economics including
other honorary doctorate degrees.
“Today, looking back to my
humble beginning, I see God’s intervention at every step of the
way. I am grateful that unlike
David who never saw the temple

he longed to build for God, I
longed to build this church and
God has granted me the grace to
witness its completion and dedication,” he said.
Guests were not only lavishly
entertained with assorted dishes
and drinks but went home with
several souvenirs.

adding that the festival which is
one of the oldest festivals ever celebrated in the history of Africa,
has buttressed that point.
Ekpemukpolor called on Niger
Delta youths in the country to live
together as one, saying that
though problems may arise, it is
their ability to handle the problems that is important. He said:
“I feel very happy today because
there is peace. By the grace of God
I think we will have peace for ever.
My message to the Niger Delta
youths is that as people live together, problems will always
come but the ability to manage
problems is what is important.
Nigeria as a country today, you
know we have done our part but
we still want our brothers (Northerners) over there to still respect
us as part of this country. “
The Fiywei of Gbaramatu Kingdom and National Chairman,
Host Communities (Oil and Gas)
of Nigeria, Chief Alfred M. Bubor,
said the festival dates back to
1331, adding, “We are doing this
celebration now because there is
peace in the river now, no quarrels no problem and for the whole
year you will see that the kingdom will be peaceful and death
will not be rampant because that
is the believe of the people till today.”
Former Chairman, Delta State
Oil Producing Areas Development Commision, DESOPADEC,
Chief Wellington Okrika who
also attended the occasion, said
that with the celebration of this
festival, the agitations in the area
have become a thing of the past.
The highpoint of the festival
was cultural displayed and different colourful dances from different masquerades in the kingdom and from environs.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

49

50

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

51

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

52

COMMENTARY

FEMI ABBAS
ON

“S

URELY man is history after his
demise; therefore endeavour to
be a good history after your
own demise”. By an Arab poet
Man’s life is a pilgrimage from the unknown to the unknown. No one knows
whence he emanated or whither he is
bound. But through a peregrination on
earth and confrontations with certain realities of life, man gathers some experiences
which form the particles of his footprint
after his demise. A chronology of such particles is called biography. Nigeria’s first
President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe captured
this scenario very vividly in the preface to
his autobiography (My Odyssey) when he
wrote:“Man comes into the world and
while he lives, he embarks upon a series of
activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate his philosophy of
life and to chart his courses of action; but
then he dies. Nevertheless, his biography
remains a guide to those of the living who
may need guidance, either as a warning on
the vanity of human wishes or as an encouragement or both”.
One unassuming but genuinely great
man, Alhaji Yisa Olasunkanmi Akanni
(YOA) Yagboyaju popularly known as
‘Baba Ewe’ who became demised last Saturday passed through that inevitable process and has now become history. This is
not a forum for writing his biography. His
biography is not what matters here but
how people react to the life he lived and
the legacy he left behind. Such reactions as
found below are far superior to what could
have been called his biography. Please,
note the calibre of people who reacted and
the contents of their reactions as well as
their locations in the country. His deeds
while alive now speak for him. We pray
the Almighty Allah to repose his rightly
guided soul in eternal bliss and protect his
rear. Since we are all from the mother earth
and we shall all return into it, no Muslim
should forget that death is a debt which
everyone must pay. Below are what people say about Baba Yagboyaju. What do you
expect people to say about you when you
are no more?
Read on:
“The announcement of Alhaji Yisa
Yagboyaju’s demise last weekend came to
Nigerian Muslim Ummah both as the end
of an era and as a reminder that death is a
leveller of mankind. His life was an example for most people who want to learn to
live according to Allah’s will. Muslims in
Nigeria and beyond will miss his courage,
his religious agility, his openness, his philanthropy as well as his wise counselling.
By his standard of living based on Islamic
principles, despite his material wherewithal, he has set a footprint on the sands
of time for those who appreciate the values of discipline. I pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in Al-Jannah Fridaws
and grant his family as well as the Muslim
Ummah the fortitude to bear the loss”.
Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto
“Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju was a very prominent Muslim leader in the Southwest, especially in Oyo and Osun states which he
served tirelessly. He was very close to the
youths to whom he gave considerate moral
and financial support. A frontline player
in the struggle for unity in Nigeria, Alhaji
Yagboyaju was a conscientious member of
NSCIA and was ever regular at meetings
of the Council in various parts of the country. We will miss him greatly. We pray
Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant
him Al-Jannah Firdaws”.
Dr. Lateef Adegbite, Secretary General, NSCIA
and first President of MSSN
“Our father, Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju was
sent to the world to teach us a lesson in
Islamic philanthropy. That we started doing the little we are doing now is in emulation of Bashorun MKO Abiola of blessed
memory and Baba Yagboyaju. They were
our models. Baba Yagboyaju never patronised the social world when he got Allah’s
blessing in his cotton business. He
ploughed substantial part of his wealth into
Islamic propagation. He has now left an
indelible mark on the sands of time. I pray
Allah to repose his soul peacefully in AlJannah Amin”.
Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, Aare Musulumi of
Yoruba Land
“Oh Allah! Grant Baba Yagboyaju AlJannah Firdaws. He was a trail blazer in Islamic philanthropy. He loved the youths

• The Ka’aba
and gave them spiritual growth throughout this country and beyond. I pray Allah
to enable his gentle soul in perfect peace”.
Ibrahim Shekarau, former Governor of Kano State
“With the passing on of our brother, Baba
Ewe Yisa Yagboyaju, d Nigerian Muslim
Ummah, particularly the youths, has lost a
hugely precious asset. His contribution to
the progress of the Ummah was eminently
unique. Verily, the traces of his good deeds
shall remain indelible. May Allah grant
him a comfortable barzakh and easy entry
into Al-Firdaws.
Prof. Dawud O. S. Noibi, Executive Secretary,
MUSWEN.
To a man who, through self-sacrifice,
raised the spirit of volunteerism in Yoruba
land. I pay my respect and pray Allah to
grant him the best abode in Al-Jannah”.
Prof Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin.
“The first features that one noticed about
Alhaji were his compulsive neatness and
simple but meticulous dressing that portrayed great respectability. Then would
come the welcoming smile and his amiability would unfold in no time. Before much
longer, one discovers a strong character, exuding a lot of confidence that is anchored
to his strong faith. His total commitment
and dedication to Allah, SWT, and His cause
could not be missed; particularly his fascination with and dedication to serving Muslim Youth. His philanthropy stood him out.
It is a glowing tribute to Alhaji Yisa
Yagboyaju that he made his name and established his fame within the Ummah. May
Allah, Most Beneficent and Most Merciful,
sanctify his rest and grant him a place in AlJannah Firdaws”.
Dr. Abdullah Jibril Oyekan, former Director,
Ministry of Petroleum.
“Every soul shall surely die but it is always painful to hear of the death of those
who impacted positively on the lives of
millions like Chief Yisa Yagboyaju. When
it comes to supporting Islamic activism he
was a legend. Every Muslim youth saw his
house at Iwo Road, Ibadan as his second
home. We take solace in the fact that he left
behind good children who are also Jihadists
in their own right. We pray Allah to blot
out his shortcomings and provide him a
befitting place in Paradise”.
Moshud Iyanda Lawal, Oba Arowoduoye II, Iba
of Kishi, Oyo State
“The news of Baba Yisa Yagboyaju’s death
hit me like a thunderbolt. I related very
much with him during the few years I spent
in Ibadan. He was one of the few Muslim
leaders who dedicated all their endowments
to the Deen without any strings attached.
He was transparently honest, humble and
related with us as if we were of the same
age bracket. We pray to the Almighty Al-

“Baba Yagboyaju was an Islamic icon who
blazed the trail of Islamic renewal in
Yoruba Land when it was unfashionable
to do so. At a time when his Muslim contemporaries were spending their resources
on praise singing and other frivolities, he
diverted his wealth on propagation of Islam. He lived well and left a legacy of Islamic reawakening for which Allah will
surely reward him with Al-Jannah”.
Yusuf Olaolu Ali, Senior Advocate of Nigeria
(SAN), Ilorin
“Baba Yagboyaju’s demise is painful because we just lost another wonderful Muslim brother, Ahmad Okiri, from Niger
Delta who embraced Islam in 1965 and
gave birth to more than 20 children all of
whom are Muslims. Baba Yagboyaju was a
Muslim in all ramifications. He was caring
and loving across tribes. It is my prayer
that Allah rewards his good deeds with AlJannah, Amin”.
Sheikh Adam Idoko, Chief Imam, University of
Nigeria, Nsukka
“So, our Baba is gone? We offer our condolences to his family. He did his best for
Islam, especially among the youths and left
an everlasting legacy of altruism that is
worthy of emulation. We pray Allah to
grant his soul perfect peace”.
Prof Naiya Sada, former Dean, Faculty of Law,
ABU, Zaria
“A prominent Muslim philanthropist is
gone. Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju, ‘Baba Odo
Musulumi’, Grand Matron of MSSN died
at 80. He was an advocate of education for
all who sponsored many Muslim students
at both junior and higher education levels.
He authored many Islamic stickers including the popular one ‘Islam is Peace’. He
was the first Muslim philanthropist in the
Southwest. He established the very first
Islamic Centre in Ibadan and allowed his
house to serve as the secretariat of the
MSSN Area Unit. He was a member of
MSSN BOT and Vice-President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs
(NSCIA). I pray Allah to forgive his shortcomings and admit him in Al-Jannah”.
Prof Rashid Aderinoye,UBEC, Abuja
“Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. Oh Allah! Let the soul of Baba Yagboyaju rest in
perfect peace. We implore Allah to forgive
him and grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaws”.
Prof Awwalu Yadudu, Kano, Former Legal Adviser to General Sani Abacha.
Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju was apt for those
of us in the MSSN Ife-Ibadan axis who interacted with him. This Baba did all he
could for the youths in Islam. I can particularly recall an IVC in Akure where Alhaji
brought us fresh loaves of bread from the
oven all the way from Ibadan. It was a sign
of his love for the youths. I plead with Allah to consider that singular act of Ibadah
and reward him with Al-Jannah; Amin.
Olayinka Bashir Balogun Commissioner of Police, Edo State
“Bodija (Ibadan) Estates and Environs
Muslim Community received the news of
the demise of Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju (father of one of us) with deep sense of loss.
In his life time, Alhaji Yagboyaju feared
Allah, believed in the unseen and was
steadfast in prayers. Pious Muslims in the
entire nation will miss him. We pray he be

granted Al-Jannah Firdaws, Amin”.
Ganiyu Oladimeji, Chairman, Bodija and Environs Muslim Community, Ibadan
“The late Alhaji (Chief) Yagboyaju was
an exemplary leader during his life. He was
a good Muslim philanthropist who sponsored many Islamic programmes. The Muslim youths named him Baba Odo (father of
youths) due to his interaction and support
for the youths. When I was the NACOMYO
Coordinator for Irewole Local Government of Osun State in 1992, he came to our
programme on invitation and donated
very generously at a time when we had no
hope at all. Adieu Baba Odo. I pray Allah
to grant you eternal bliss.
Hashim Olapade, Secretary, Osun State Muslim Community
Chief Yisa Yagboyaju was and an uncommon Muslim Philanthropist who was totally committed to the emancipation of
Muslim youth from the zest pool of ignorance and illiteracy. He had no other past
time except Islam. He worked tirelessly to
see Muslims climb the ladder of political
leadership in Yoruba Land as far cry from
the
era
of
their
indefensible
marginalisation. His place will be difficult
to fill. Oh Allah! Grant this wonderful servant Al- Jannah Firdaws”.
Sulaiman Lawal, CP, E Dept. Police Headquarters, Abuja.
“Chief Yisa Yagboyaju was a great
Jihadist. His philanthropy was unique in
that it had no boundaries. Till his death, he
saw himself as a youth and his fame was
regular at both the IVC and MSSN national
conferences. He was a very humorous personality and there was no dull moment
with him. We are consoled that he lived a
Spartan Islamic life worthy of emulation
for the coming generation. God grant his
soul perfect rest.
Muzzemil Sani Hanga (Kano), former National
President, MSSN
To Muslims, young and old, who participated in the activities of Muslims Students
Society of Nigeria (MSSN) in the old Oyo
State, Alhaji Yisa Yagboyaju and his one
story building on Iwo Road in Ibadan were
synonymous with Islamic renaissance in
that part of country. Alhaji Yagboyaju was
totally committed to the course of Islam.
He opened the doors of his house to Muslim students 24/7. The only “visa” you
needed to enter the beautiful and well kept
compound was ‘Salaam Alaykum. He did not
only sponsor events, he also participated
in them effectively. His was a prominent
elderly face at Islamic Vacation Courses
(IVC) and provided shelters for many Islamic organisations, particularly COMYO,
now NACOMYO.
Oh Allah! Forgive this peerless Jihadist
and grant him Al-Jannah Fridaws.
Kunmi Olayiwola (Abuja) former MSSN President University of Ife, Nigeria
“I first met Baba Yagboyaju in 1977/78
when I was an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan. He was then the Grand
Patron of MSSN of Oyo Area Unit ‘A’. That
position transformed him into an ideal
Muslim distinct from his contemporaries.
He thence dedicated his life and property
to the service of Allah. He was the only
elderly Muslim staying with us in IVC
camps and National Conferences. He was
simple, humane and selfless. I pray the
Almighty Allah to grant him Jannatul
Firdaws. Amin”
Dr. Wole Abbas, Senior Lecturer, Department
of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of
Ibadan
“Baba Yisa Yagboyaju was a unique Islamic philanthropist. He pioneered a lot
in the field of Islamic propagation. He was
the first to sponsor preaching on radio and
television. He was the first to print stickers with Islamic messages for free distribution. He was the first to donate vehicles
to Islamic groups, especially MSS and
NACOMYO. He never lived a flamboyant
life. He was simplicity personified. He was
humble to a fault. In spite of his wealth, he
built only two houses one in Ede his home
town and one in Ibadan. A lion’s share of
his wealth was expended on scholarships,
mosques and further expansion of Islamic
ideals. May Allah forgive him and make
Jannatul Firdaws his everlasting abode”.
Kunle Sanni, Ibadan
•This write up was meant for last Friday. But
circumstances beyond this columnist caused
precluded its publication.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

53

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

54

EQUITIES
NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE
DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-4-12

Transcorp records 49% profit drop

T

RANSNATIONAL
Corporation
of
Nigeria (Transcorp)
Plc witnessed a major
reversal in profitability in
2011 as sluggish sales amidst
rising costs weighed in on
the bottom-line.
Audited report and
account of the company for
the year ended December 31,
2011
made
available
yesterday showed that
profit before tax and after
exceptional items declined
from N6.91 billion in 2010 to
N3.50 billion in 2011. Profit
before tax and exceptional
item also dropped from
N4.06 billion to N3.50
billion.
With tax write-back, profit
after tax stood at N4.67
billion in 2011 as against
N5.39 billion in 2010. Total
turnover had increased
marginally from N13.93
billion in 2010 to N14.08
billion in 2011. The report
indicated marginal decline

• Market remains bullish
By Taofik Salako and
Tonia Osundolire

in shareholders’ funds of the
conglomerate from N26.64
billion to N26.62 billion.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian
stock market sustained its
positive outlook yesterday,
although the momentum of
the bullish rally slowed
down, signaling cautious
trades by investors seeking
to lock in gains.
The benchmark index-the
All Share Index (ASI) gained
0.04 per cent to close at
20,941.93 points, compared
with 0.41 per cent recorded
the preceding day to close at
20,934.47 points.
Market
capitalisation
appreciated by N2billon to
close at N6.64trillion, lower
than the increase by
N26.8billion recorded the
preceding day to close at
N6.63trillion.

Paint
Manufacturing
Company of Nigeria Plc led
the gainers’ table with four
kobo or five per cent to close
at 84 kobo per share,
followed by Berger Paints
Plc with 40 kobo or 4.95 per
cent to close at N8.48 per
share.
AG Leventis Plc added
seven kobo or 4.86 per cent
to close at N1.51 per share,
while Union Bank of
Nigeria Plc appreciated by
11 kobo or 4.70 per cent to
close at N2.45 per share.
GTAssurance Plc rose by six
kobo or 4.32 per cent to close
at 54 kobo per share.
On the flip side, Ashaka
Cement Plc dropped by 53
kobo or five per cent to close
at N10.07 per share, while
Presco Plc dipped by 53 kobo
or 4.98 per cent to close at
N10.11 per share.
GlaxoSmithKline
pharmaceuticals Plc lost 99
kobo or 4.96 per cent to close
at N18.97 per share, while
Dangote Flour Plc declined
by 22 kobo or 4.94 per cent
to close at N4.23 per share.
BAGCO Plc depreciated by
0.09 kobo or 4.64 per cent to
close at N1.85 per share.

NIGERIAN STOCK EXCHANGE
DAILY SUMMARY AS AT 5-4-12

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

55

MONEY LINK

Sanusi: CBN’s balance sheet can’t support infrastructure

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) balance sheet
cannot support in infrastructure funding, its Governor,
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said.
He said the regulator had tried
to use its balance sheet to support
power, agriculture and real estate
with little success. He therefore
called on International Finance
Corporation (IFC) to invest in
critical sectors of the to enhance
economic development.
Sanusi spoke at a send forth for
the IFC’s Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and
Caribbean and Western Europe,
Mr. Thierry Tanoh, in Lagos on
Wednesday night.
He said Nigerian banks will not
grow in the long-term, until there

• Says Okojo-Iweala’s
best candidate
By Collins Nweze

are structural adjustment into
manufacturing, agriculture and
agro-business, power and these
would not happen without the
basic infrastructure.
These he said are the kind of
things that the IFC should be focused on.
Sanusi said the IFC has worked
like a development bank with an
eye on returns, adding that the
bank has carried out development projects in a manner that
allows it make good money
while contributing to growth
and development of the

sure that confidence does not disappear because once there is no
confidence, nothing will work.
Then when we needed credible
institutions that would come up
and say what we did was right,
and at that time, the IFC was one
of the first that came to meet us,
and issued a public statement in
support of the actions that we had
taken and effectively said what
we did was what central banks
everywhere should be doing,” he
said.
Sanusi said such support was
needed greatly at such times, and
as a country, Nigeria will remain
grateful to the IFC.
He also said Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala is the best candidate for
World Bank Presidency. “The
Economist has said it, The Finan-

economy. “If you invest in Nigerian power sector, you make a
lot of money and by generating
power, you create jobs, and you
lift people out of poverty. If you
invest in infrastructure, its the
same thing. So, there is so much
you can do in this country to
make money and move so many
people out of poverty. And that
is what the IFC has done,” he
said.
He commended the IFC for
standing with Nigeria during the
banking sector crisis, adding that
the financial institution boosted
investors’ confidence in the sector. “When you have a banking
crisis, your biggest problem is
not how to raise liquidity, not
how to raise capital, but to make

Ecobank woos funds transfer customers

E

COBANK is offering a 50 per
cent discount on transaction
fees to new customers who
use its Rapid Transfer service during the Easter period.
Announcing this offering during
a media briefing in Lagos, Ecobank
Group Head, Domestic Bank,
Kingsley Aigbokhaevbo, said all
the customer has to do is open an
Ecobank account by completing an
account opening form and presenting requisite means of identification.
In return, the bank would give

the customer a Rapidtransfer Loyalty Card. “Just show your Loyalty
Card every time you transfer
money up until April 30, 2012 and
we will refund 50 per cent of your
Rapid Transfer commission at the
end of the promo”
According to Mr Aigbokhaevbo,
Rapid Transfer is an Ecobank proprietary send and receive money
transfer product available in all
Ecobank branches across Africa.
“It’s aim is to facilitate easy transfer and access to funds both in Nigeria and across countries where

UBA Ghana profit rises 143%

Ecobank is present. It is designed
to eliminate the risk of carrying
cash as well as facilitate easy payment for goods and services without the hassles of sourcing for foreign exchange as the payments are
made in the local currencies of both
the transfer and the receiving countries,” he remarked.
He reiterated that customers
choose Ecobank Rapidtransfer because it is a fast, convenient and
reliable means of sending and receiving money within Nigeria and
across Africa.

T

HE United Bank for Africa
(Ghana) Limited, a subsidiary of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, profit for the year
ended 2011 showed an increase of
143 per cent.
The bank recorded a profit before tax of GH¢30.2 million ($17.653
million) in 2011 against GH¢13.9
million ($7.86 million) in 2010,
representing an increase of 143 per
cent over the previous year.
Profit for the year after tax also
increased from GH¢9.2 million
($5.20 million) in 2010 to GH¢22.4
million ($12.72 million). The result
came on the back of improved risk
analysis and prudent operational
costs.
In a statement, the bank said the
result was an affirmation of claims
made recently by the Group Managing Director, UBA Plc, Mr

Diamond Bank rewards children

I

NTENT on supporting and grow
ing the creative talents of the next
generation, Diamond Bank Plc recently announced its collaboration
with the Lagos Black Heritage Festival to sponsor the Vision of the Child
Painting Competition. The Vision of

the Child is one of the key events of
this year’s Lagos Black Heritage Festival which is running from April 29, 2012.
According to a statement issued by
the Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank, Ms. Akpo

Daniyan, the bank’s decision to sponsor the Vision of the Child Painting
Competition of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival was informed by the
bank’s commitment to capacity development, especially of the next generation.

Phillips Oduoza, during an address to the stockbrokers and investors at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), that increasing numbers of the bank’s subsidiaries have
turned corners, thus contributing
significantly to the Group’s
bottomline.
Deposit volume for the period
increased to GH¢404.6 million
($228.8 million) from GH¢311.2 million ($176 million) in 2010. A decrease in interest income margins
last year presented an opportunity
for the bank to go into fees and
commissions, which generated
about 57 per cent of the bank’s income during the 2011 financial year.
Similarly, the bank’s improved risk
analysis and prudent measures contributed in reducing its non-performing loans (NPLs) from 19 per
cent in 2010 to 7.91 per cent in 2011.

cial Times has said it and I don’t
think there is anybody that
doubts that Ngozi Okonjo-I
weala is a candidate to beat
there,” he said.
According to him, she is qualified in all ramifications to be the
World Bank President. “We are
talking about somebody who is
competing, not because she is a
Nigerian, black or a woman, but
because of her curriculum vitae,
her education, and her experience. There is simply no candidate out there, on merit that can
compete with her,” he said.
Sanusi said that expectedly, the
contest will be merit-based. “We
do hope that the Americans and
Europeans would practice what
they preach to us and actually allow merit to reign,” he said.

N Abuja High Court yesterday granted bail to two
former directors and one worker of the Federal Civil
Service Commission (FCSC) arraigned on Tuesday for
an alleged N109 million pension fraud.
They are facing a 12-count charge of conspiracy to commit
fraud, forgery and fraudulent conversion of funds.
The accused are Hassan Mohammed Tukur, Babatunde
Abisuga and Mohammed Ndakupe.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Tukur and Abisuga retired from the Commission as Deputy
Director of Finance and Assistant Director of Finance last year.
Ndakupe is said to be a staff in the office of the AccountantGeneral of the Federation.
The accused allegedly withdrew money from several First
Bank Plc accounts belonging to the Commission between October
and November 2010.
Justice Maryanne Anenih held that the offences, which the
accused are being charged with, are bailable.
She granted N5 million bail each with one surety in like sum,
who must have a landed property within Abuja, with valid
evidence of ownership.
The sureties are also to leave two passports with the Registrar of the court.
The defence counsel, M. A. Ebuka and Anthony Agbonlahor,
earlier begged the court to grant the accused bail on liberal
terms, in view of the provisions of Section of 341 (2) of the
Criminal Procedure Code.
They said the proof of evidence brought by the anti-graft
agency cannot be used as a prima facie evidence to deny the accused bail.

•Wike and Masida at the event...yesterday. With them are other ministry officials

Wike calls for extension of teachers’ training

Ekweremadu for lecture in Canada
From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

D

EPUTY Senate President Ike Ekweremadu is to deliver
the sixth Annual Oputa Lecture on Governance in Africa.
In a statement in Abuja, Ekweremadu’s media aide Uche
Anichukwu said the annual lecture series is organised by the
York University, Toronto, Canada.
The lecture, “Nigerian Federalism: A Case for a Review”, will
hold on April 11. It is organised by the Osgoode Hall Law School
and the Nathason Centre for Transnational Human Rights,
Crime and Security, both of the York University.
In a letter of invitation signed by the convener and member of
the United Nations Human Rights Advisory Committee, Prof
Obiora Okafor, the university said the Oputa lectures “provide a
forum in which Africans who are involved at the highest levels
with governance on the continent can interact and exchange
ideas with the York University community.”

M

INISTER of State for Education Nyesom Wike has
called for the extension of the timeline for the partnership between the Federal Government and the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the training of mathematics and science teachers.
Wike spoke at the stakeholders meeting for Strengthening
Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja yesterday.
He said the challenges being faced by implementing agencies of the Federal Government indicate that the programme
should be extended to 2014 for the target objectives to be met.
Wike regretted that the implementation of the SMASE
programmes at the local and international levels have been
hampered by inadequate funding of training programmes.
The minister said he would work with other Federal Government agencies to ensure that more funding is secured for

SMASE.
He said because mathematics and science education are
critical to the development of the nation, the training of teachers to actively participate in the creation of a formidable foundation for national development remains paramount.
According to him, “we have set up a mechanism to overcome the funding challenges that the SMASE programme has
encountered along the way. We shall also collaborate with
the National Planning Commission to present the case for
more funding at the National Economic Council.
The Acting Chief Representative of JICA, Yasiro Masida,
said the Japanese government was committed to the training
of 70,000 mathematics and science teachers.
On the request for the extension of deadline, he said it
would be determined by the level of seriousness and
commitment shown by the Federal Government.

Fed Govt may present new
PIB to National Assembly
•Reverses MDGs funds sharing formular
•Jonathan, governors to pay tax on official emoluments

T

HE Petroleum Industry
Bill (PIB), which is still
before the National
Assemby, may have hit a dead
end after all.
The bill, which seems to
have been dumped by the National Assembly, is to be replaced by a new one going by
the information emanating
from the National Economic
Council (NEC).
The NEC rose from its
monthly meeting yesterday
advising the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, to present a road
map on the sector for the purpose of sending the new bill
to the National Assembly.
The bill, aimed at regulating activities in the oil and gas
industry and stimulate investment in the oil and gas industry, may not see the light of
day after all.
Also, council has set up a
committee to resolve the lingering legal tussle between
the Federal Government and
states over excess crude account deduction.
The governors agreed to an
out-of-court settlement and
have agreed to set up a team
to meet with the Federal Government delegation, led by
Minister of Finance, Mrs.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Also yesterday, the sharing
formula for the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
fund was reversed in favour
of the states.
It was agreed that the Federal Government would now

From Vincent Ikuomola,
Abuja

get 40 per cent and states 60per
cent.
NEC is a statutory body,
which is chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo and comprises governors, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, minister of National Planning, minister of Justice, minister of state, Finance.
Akwa Ibom State Governor
Godswil Akpabio, who
briefed reporters with Benue
State Deputy Governor
Stephen Lawan and Minister
of
National
Planning
Shamusideen Usman, said
council resolved to work towards the early passage of the
PIB.
He said Mrs. AlisonMadueke has been directed to
present a roadmap on the conclusion and finalisation of the
PIB to the relevant organs of
the executive for final consideration.
This, he said, would enable
President Goodluck Jonathan
to present the bill as a matter
of urgency to the National Assembly.
The governor said Council resolved and accepted the
new Oil Bench Mark Price of
$72 as contained in the budget after an explicit presentation on the local and international economic fundamentals that informed the determination of the benchmark
price by Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.

On oil subsidy/export data,
the governor said the Council considered a presentation
by the Finance Minister on oil
subsidy financing and noted
the need to establish a reliable system for the tracking
of oil exports and imports.
Based on this, the council
set up a committee headed by
the minister with some governors.
On the issue of the Excess
Crude Account, Akpabio said
Council welcomed the decision for an out-of-court settlement.
Akpabio said council
agreed that a law to
criminalise bunkering be put
in place.
He said the Law against Oil
Theft and Vandalisation
should be strengthened to
save the nation from revenue
loss, which has been put at
over $1 billion monthly.
On the New Personal Income Tax, he said following
a presentation by the Chairman of the FIRS, Mrs. Ifueko
Omouigi on the new personal income tax regime
and its effect on the revenue
accruable to the states, the
Council agreed that the governors and deputy governors
would now pay tax on their
official emoluments.
The new personal income
tax regime will improve
revenue generation and
hold significant potentials
for growing state revenue
above what is obtainable
now”.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

57

NEWS

Group raises alarm over planned
protest against Boroffice

A

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

GROUP, Boroffice Campaign Organisation (BCO), has
raised the alarm over an alleged plan by opposition
members and some elements in the Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN), especially in Akoko area of the state,
to protest against the governorship aspiration of Senator Ajayi
Boroffice.
A statement in Akure, the Ondo State capital, by Mr. Solagbade
Amodeni, on behalf of the organisation, alleged that the opponents planned to organise a series of protests from next week.
It said the move is to give the impression that Boroffice is not
acceptable in Akoko.
The statement reads: "It must be noted that Senator Boroffice
is the Asiwaju of Akokoland and well loved by the Akoko
people, particularly for empowering the youths and his commitment to community development.
"In fact, Senator Boroffice ventured into politics because the
people of Akoko wanted him to represent them politically to be
the voice of Akoko.
"It is, therefore, a futile exercise for any group of people to
want to malign him for their selfish interests."
The group urged those it described as "enemy of progress" to
stop heating up the polity because of their selfish interests.
It alleged that most of those opposed to Boroffice's governorship ambition were being sponsored by the ruling Labour Party
(LP) to destabilise the ACN.

S

Oyo workers suspend strike

TRIKING Oyo State
workers yesterday
suspended their threeweek-old action to return to
the negotiation table with
the government.
The suspension followed
an intervention by some
Ibadan elders and other
prominent residents who
urged them to negotiate with
the government on their
grievances.
The government offered
them N19,137 minimum
wage, but the workers rejected the offer on the excuse
that increases in workers’
salaries were marginal.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi
held an open meeting with
the workers where he laid on
the table the state’s financial
position.
The governor said the of-

From Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

fer takes 92 per cent of the
state’s total income, adding
that it was impossible for his
administration to stretch itself further. But the workers
insisted on an increase and
embarked on an indefinite
strike.
The government hailed
the workers’ gesture. It noted
that the suspension would
afford them time to dispassionately look into the issue
more closely with a promise
that the government would
listen to them.
The Chairman of the Joint
Negotiating Council (JNC),
Nurudeen Arowolo, and the
state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),
Comrade Bashir Olanrewaju,

confirmed that the strike was
suspended after the intervention of some elders.
Among the elders is the
senator representing Oyo
Central, Ayoade Adeseun.
He urged the striking workers to end their face-off with
the government over the
new minimum wage and return to work.
Arowolo told reporters in
Ibadan, the state capital, that
the workers agreed with the
elders that negotiations
would be completed within
two weeks.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation Bosun Oladele said the workers should sit down and dispassionately look at the finances of the state as presented by the government
dispassionately.

He said: “The figures are
not what should be glanced
through but to be studied by
the workers dispassionately
with the aim of moving the
state forward.”
The Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU) had directed its members to resume work last week following a directive from its
national leadership in
Abuja. It was learnt that
members of the union considered the data released by
the Ministry of Finance on
the inability of the government to pay more than it presented.
The understanding was
strengthened
by
the
government’s promise to increase salaries as Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR) increases.

Adefarati’s widow criticised
for visiting Mimiko

A

From Damisi Ojo, Akure

SON of the late Ondo State Governor Adebayo Adefarati,
and chieftain of the Ondo State chapter of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Otunba Adegboyega
Adefarati, yesterday criticised his father’s widow, Adetutu, for
embarking on a private visit to Governor Olusegun Mimiko,
on Tuesday.
During the visit, the late governor’s widow reportedly prayed
God to direct Mimiko on his second term ambition.
The young Adefarati, who was ACN’s House of Representatives candidate in last year’s elections, noted that Mrs Adefarati
might have been misunderstood.
According to him, if her comment was true, it was her personal opinion.
He said: “Her comment during the recent visit of Chief Rotimi
Akeredolu (SAN), an ACN governorship aspirant, to Adefarati’s
family estate in Akungba-Akoko was contrary to what is being
reported.
“What the woman said during the visit was that Mimiko
stampeded and stabbed her husband out of office; that Mimiko
should not be surprised if he is being asked not to go for a
second term; that he has not performed to justify his second
term in office; and that he is an apostle of one governor, one
term in office.”
The ACN chieftain noted that with the unfolding scenario,
Mimiko could see failure staring him in the face as the October
governorship election draws nearer.
According to him, Adefarati’s political family remains fully
committed to the ACN philosophy and its ideology. He added
that the family would forever remain within the progressives’
fold.
Many political associates and supporters of the late Adefarati
wondered what could have prompted his widow to visit Mimiko,
especially with the current heat over the governorship poll.

T

ACN canvasses support for
Ogun Investors’ Forum

HE Ogun State chapter
of the Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday assured the residents
that Governor Ibikunle
Amosun is committed to
implementing
the
government’s resolutions
reached at the recent Investors’
Forum.
The party said the governor
is sincere in his determination
to restore the lost glory of the
state, particularly its economic
fortunes.
In a statement by its State
Publicity Secretary, Mr. Sola
Lawal, the ACN noted that the
Investors’ Forum was a vital
ingredient for the success of
rebuilding the state.
It said the forum is not like
what the residents had witnessed under the past administration.
It said: “This is not a government of platitude or propaganda but one with a sincere determination to building structures for sustainable
economic restoration.
“This explains the mass support the forum enjoyed with
the attendance of prominent
Nigerians and foreigners, including Nobel Laureate, Prof.
Wole Soyinka, governors of
Kaduna, Lagos, Osun and Oyo

From Ernest Nwokolo,
Abeokuta

states and industrialists such
as Aliko Dangote and Oba
Otudeko.”
The party bemoaned the
downward trend every sector
in the state suffered due to
what it called the selfishness
and insensitivity of the government of former Governor
Gbenga Daniel.
It appealed to the residents
to support Amosun to enable
him accomplish his policies
and programmes.
ACN said: “The defective
policies of the Daniel administration dealt a big blow to
the labours of successive progressive governments in the
state and it is incumbent on
all well-meaning indigenes of
the state to be partakers in the
selfless and well thought-out
policies of the Amosun Government, particularly its five
cardinal programmes.
“The speed with which Senator Amosun swung into action
towards the implementation
of these programmes after his
assumption of office is a testimony to his determination
and sincerity to restore the fortune of the state as a trailblazer.”

•Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi (left); Marketing and Innovation Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Ruari Twomey
Middle) and Oyo Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Dapo Adesina, at the unveiling of the sponsorship for Oyo State
Government-owned 3SC Football Club in Ibadan...yesterday.

Ekiti targets N1b monthly IGR through e-payment, tourism

E

KITI State Government
has set a target of
N1billion monthly Internally Generated Revenue
(IGR) with the introduction of
the electronic receipt (e-receipt) payment system and
improvement of its tourist
sites.
The Chairman of the state
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Mr. Isola Akingbade, addressed reporters yesterday in
his office in Ado-Ekiti, the state
capital, during the visit of the
1984 set of Old Students’ Association of Okemesi Grammar
School, led by its Chairman,
Mr. Agboola Ogunfeitimi.
Akingbade noted that
though the state now records
over N6million monthly, the

From Sulaiman
Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

N1 billion target is achievable
“if existing loopholes could be
blocked”.
He said the increase of the
IGR from N109 million to over
N600 million has been
achieved without imposing
new taxes on the residents.
The IRS chief noted hat
though the state did not have
plans to introduce new
taxes, it was planning to further sharpen the strategies
for more effective application of the e-payment system.
Akingbade said: “With the
plans to harness immense
potentials at the Ikogosi

Warm Spring, Arinta Water
Falls, the Ero Dam, among
other sites, the possibility of
attaining
N1billion
monthly appears immensely possible.”
He noted that the developmental strides of the
Kayode Fayemi administration, as encapsulated in the
Eight-Point Agenda, would
be consolidated if the state’s
IGR could be increased.
According to him, the fortunes of the state has more to
do with the weight of the IGR
and less on federal allocation.
Akingbade said the IRS
plans to increase the state’s
IGR by 25 per cent on consistent monthly basis by stopping illegal lumbering going

on at the state’s forest reserves.
He said: “The Ikogosi
Warm Spring, which is a
meeting point for warm and
cold water springs, is one of
its kinds in the whole world.
There are two of its kind, and
Ikogosi is reputed to be the
bigger and the better of the
two.
“The state government is
tapping the uniqueness of opportunities in the state to create more funds. The Federal
Government takes its officials
to the Obudu Ranch for retreats, why can’t it also bring
them to Ikogosi to come and
see the wonderful gift the
nature has bestowed on the
state?”

Rainstorm destroys market, homes, electric poles in Ibadan

A

HEAVY rainstorm has blown off
the roof tops of many homes and
those of the popular Aleshinloye
Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The storm occurred on Wednesday
night and raged for about three hours
across the ancient city.
Property destroyed were estimated at
several millions of naira.
The storm blew off the roofs of over 15
shops at Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan
South West Local Government Area. The
traders lost their goods.
Some of them were seen yesterday in
the market trying to salvage what remained of their shops.
Electricity cables belonging to the Power
Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)

From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

were felled in some parts of the city, leading to blackout. Workers of the electricity company were seen yesterday removing the poles and cables from the roads.
Though the storm led to a heavy downpour, it did not flood any area of the
city, as it did on August 26, last year.
Among the worse hit areas are Oke
Remi, Layout, Oke-Tunu, Aleshinloye
Market, Baba Sala area of Sango,
Akobo, Bodija, Omi-Adio, Eleso and
Ido town in Ido Local Government
Area.
When The Nation visited some of the
areas
at
Omi-Adio,
Akobo,
Aleshinloye Market and Sango - where

the storm wrecked havoc - the residents were seen outside their damaged homes discussing the their fate.
A resident of Omi-Adio, Alhaji
Aminu Adekanmbi, told The Nation
that the storm was a bad omen.
He noted that the storm was a warning signal to the residents about what
might happen when the rainy season
fully begins.
The roof of a bungalow near the
Ibadan-Abeokuta Expressway, at OmiAdio, was blown away by the raging
storm, which also felled some trees
onto the road.
It was gathered that though the storm
was violent, it did not lead to any casualty.

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

58

NEWS
PDP to hold primaries in Akwa Ibom

Four die of Lassa fever in Rivers

From Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

S

ECURITY has been strengthened as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holds its local government primaries for those to contest in the June local government
election in Akwa Ibom State.
Security agents, comprising officers of the Police and the
State Security Services (SSS), were observed controlling party
supporters.
The PDP State Chairman, Paul Ekpo, gave electoral materials to party officials across the 31 local government areas.
Ekpo while addressing party officials said primaries would
hold in all the 329 wards.
His words: “I want to assure you today that the exercise is
going to be free and fair. I want to warn the electoral officers that we have great respect and regard for you.
“I want you to be fair and do justice to all. None of you
should circumvent the legal proceedings. One thing is very
paramount, if we have any report of violence from any
ward, the candidate will be disqualified. Our women must
be given a free hand to also represent the party. PDP is
gender-sensitive.”

F

OUR persons have
died of Lassa fever in
Rivers State.
Six new cases have been
diagnosed.
This was made known in
Port Harcourt yesterday by
the
Commissioner for
Health, Dr. Sampson
Parker.
Parker said members of
the Rapid Response Team
on Lassa Fever, set up by the
government, would address
the challenge.
He said members of the
team were moving round
the 23 local governments to

•Six new cases diagnosed
From Bisi Olaniyi, Port
Harcourt

enlighten the people.
The commissioner said
the government has declared an epidemic on the
disease.
A nurse died in Port
Harcourt, causing fear
among health workers.
But Parker said the equipment, drugs and protective
items to treat Lassa fever
had been provided.
He said: “Rivers State has
a challenge of Lassa fever.

“It is real. It is the first
time medical notice of the
ailment is taken in the state.
It is an epidemic.
“Lassa fever is carried by
some species of rats, which
stay in filthy environment.
“We must ensure personal and environmental
hygiene, as well as good
waste disposal.
“All domestic wastes
should be covered in bags
and disposed off appropriately.
“Rivers people should be

vigilant and correct one another, because one person’s
mistake can be disastrous.
“The dead persons might
have ensured personal hygiene, but their neighbours
might not have been careful.
“Lassa fever is a viral illness. The symptoms are so
varied and non-specific.
Clinical diagnoses are often
difficult.
“We must discourage
self-medication. Go to the
nearest health facility for
examination by health personnel.”

Akpabio hails judgment

A

KWA IBOM State
Governor Godswill
Akpabio yesterday
hailed the Appeal Court
judgment that affirmed his
electoral victory, saying the
court is the last hope of the
common man.
Akpabio said he was not
only oppressed but he was
a victim of vile propaganda
during last year’s governorship election.
The Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN), its gover-

From Kazeem Ibrahym,
Uyo

norship candidate and running mate, Senator John
Akpan Udoedeghe and Ime
Umanah, had challenged the
emergence of Akpabio as the
winner of the April 26 governorship election.
Dedicating the victory to
God and the people, he
pledged to continue with
monumental and developmental projects that have defined
his government these past
years.

52 vehicles for police in Edo
From Osagie Otabor, Benin

E

DO State Governor Adams Oshiomhole yesterday presented 50 Hilux vans fitted with communication gadgets to the police .
Oshiomhole, who made the presentation to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, in Benin,
said the donation was his administration’s efforts at reinforcing the police to fight crimes effectively.
The governor said 150 vehicles have been given to the
police command since he assumed office, adding that police
officers required the right tools and gadgets to fight crime.
He urged politicians to stop politicising security issues
which, he said, was an issue of concern for all Nigerians.
Abubakar said the vehicles were bought primarily for
safety and security of Edo State and must not be put to other
use than the purpose for which they were bought.
The IG said there was nothing to worry about regarding
the warning by the Joint Task Force (JTF) on plans to bomb
some places in the North.
Abubakar said the reformation of the police would take
some time, saying police officers would be properly trained.
He said police officers would no longer participate in sport
competitions to enable them keep the pace in crime fighting.
“Sports and crime cannot go together. Sports is on the
hold for now. We have produced the best in sports. We
produced Chioma Ajunwa, Samuel Peter and others. Till
date, nobody has been able to beat our record.”

Kidnapped lawmaker’s father released
From Osagie Otabor, Benin

T

HE father of the Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Pa Osagie Imarhiagbe, has been released by
his abductors.
He was released on Wednesday in a bush on the Benin-Auchi
Road.
His son, Samson Osagie, confirmed the release but declined
to say how much was paid as ransom.
Pa Imarhiagbe was abducted on Monday at his residence at
Urhokuosa village in Uhunmwode Local Government of Edo
State.

HE Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control
(NAFDAC), Paul Orhii, has lauded Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi for
setting up the state-owned Integrated
Medical Industries Limited, which manufactures syringes and other medical devices.
The NAFDAC Director-General spoke
yesterday, shortly after a facility tour of
the plant in Rumuosi, East-West Road,
Port Harcourt.
The plant was recently pre-qualified
by the World Health Organisation

(WHO) to manufacture syringes and
other medical devices that can be used
anywhere in the world.
Orhii said: “I congratulate the Rivers State Government, the governor
and the people.
“With this prequalification, these
products can be sold all over the
world. I remember that they have
already started.
“I think during the Haiti earthquake
some of the products from Rivers
State were sent to that country and
they were accepted. So, I think this is
a very big one for us.”

He said the plant was prequalified by
WHO because of its technical competence, excellence and maintenance culture.
Commissioner for Health Sampson
Parker, who represented Amaechi,
thanked the NAFDAC boss for the visit.
He said: “I am excited. Mine is just to
thank God, then the governor for the
support he has given to healthcare delivery in the state.
“He is a governor who is personally
involved in the day-to-day running of
the health system and that this thing is
happening in his time and our time is a
big joy for us.”

Daar Communications appeals ruling on bank accounts
AAR Communications Plc has appealed last Monday’s ruling of a Federal High
Court in Lagos directing 18
banks, including the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to
provide information regarding Daar Communications’
financial standing.
In a notice of appeal dated

D

By Eric Ikhilae

April 3, the firm is challenging the decision of Justice
Mohammed Idris as contained in his ruling in an application for garnishee nisi
filed by Fidelity Bank Plc.
The bank, in whose favour
the court entered a judgment
of over N7.5 billion on

March 26, seeks to recover
what is left of the judgment
sum through a garnishee proceeding.
Daar raised two grounds in
its notice of appeal. It urged
the court to set aside the ruling and transfer its pending
applications before the lower
court to another judge for
hearing.
It argued that the lower
court erred in law in electing to hear the bank’s motion ex-parte for garnishee order, despite its pending application for a stay of proceedings.
The firm further argued
that the lower court erred in
its application of the Court
of Appeal decision in the
cases of Purification Techniques Nigeria Limited vs
Attorney-General, Lagos
(2004) 9 NWLR (part 879 at
page 665 and NITEL vs ICIC
(2009) 16 NWLR (part1167)
at page 356 in deciding to
hear the garnishee application as against its pending
application for a stay of proceedings.

Justice Idris also directed
the 18 banks, listed as
garnishees in the application,
“to prepare and file before
the court statement of accounts showing the judgment
debtor’s (Daar Communication) financial status with the
garnishee as from March 26.”
He set April 24 as return
date. By that date, the banks
are expected to have responded to the court’s order.
The affected banks are First
Bank, United Bank for Africa
(UBA), Enterprise Bank,
Ecobank, Access Bank, First
City Monument Bank
(FCMB), Wema Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fin Bank,
Keystone Bank, Mainstreet,
Union Bank, Diamond, Skye,
Unity Bank, Stanbic IBTC
Bank, Zenith and CBN.
Fidelity Bank’s lawyer
Zainab Kelani had while
moving the application for
garnishee order, stated that
the judgment debtor “has refused and neglected to pay
the outstanding judgment
sum as contained in the judgment of March 26.”

59

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

NEWS

Police track agent for illegal sale
of property to Zamfara Governor

A

N Abuja based property agent, Mr. Obinna Kanu has been declared wanted by the Force
Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) of the Police
in Abuja for allegedly selling
the property of his principal
to Governor Abdulaziz Yari of
Zamfara State.
According to Special Police
Gazette Bulletin issued under
the authority of the Inspector
General of Police, Kanu is
wanted for alleged conspiracy, forgery and stealing of
N300 million belonging to one
Chief Ernest Elochukwu.
The said property n 1, Fatai
Williams Street, Asokoro,
Abuja, was reportedly sold to
the Governor by the agent

From Gbade Ogunwale,
Assistant Editor, Abuja
without the Governor knowing that the agent did not have
the consent of the owner of the
property.
The Bulletin also stated that
Kanu sold another of Elochukwu’s property, on House 421
(A) Road, Federal Housing
Authority Estate, Lugbe for
N200 million. He was said to
have converted the proceeds
from the two property to his
personal use.
The police added that the
agent allegedly converted to
his personal use, another N100
million given him by Elochukwu for the purpose of procuring a quarry licence.

“The method used in committing the offence is that the
suspect being the manager in
charge of Sir Elochukwu Ernest properties in Abuja, fraudulently sold Chief Ernest Elochukwu properties at No. 1
Fatai Williams Street, Asokoro and House 421 (A) Road,
FHA Estate, Lugbe, Abuja respectively without his consent
and converted the proceeds
amounting N200,000,000.00.”
“If seen, suspect should be
apprehended and handed over
to any nearest police formation or directly to the office of
the Assistant Commissioner
of Police Special Enquiry Bureau (S.E.B) ‘D’ Department
FCID, Area 10, Garki, Abuja”,
the bulletin added.

Nwabueze, Balarabe Musa, 48
others sue Fed Govt, governors

A

CONSTITUTIONAL
lawyer, Prof. Ben
Nwabueze; former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe
Musa; Odua Peoples Congress
(OPC)founder Dr. Fredrick
Fasehun and 47 others have
sued the Federal Government,
challenging its hike of the fuel
price from N65 to N97.
They are asking the Federal High Court, Abuja, to declare the action unlawful, null
and void.
Others plaintiffs in the matter include popular lawyer,
Dr. Tunji Braithwaite; former
Minister of Finance, Dr Kalu
Idika Kalu; popular economist and politician, Prof Pat
Utomi; widow of the late lawyer and activist, Chief Gani
Fawehinmi’s wife, Ganiyat;
rights activist Shehu Sanni,
among others.
The defendants are: President Goodluck Jonathan; Sen-

From Kamarudeen
Ogundele, Abuja

ate President David Mark;
House of Representatives
Speaker Aminu Tambuwal;
Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency (PPPRA)
and the 36 governors.
In the originating summons,
the plaintiffs claimed that by
Section 7 of the PPPRA and
Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution, the defendants are not
empowered to validly increase the pump price of petrol as they did on January 15,
from N65 per litre to N97.
Nwabueze and the 49 others
insisted that by virtue of Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution, the defendants cannot sit
as a body or in consultation
with one another and validly
take any decision affecting the
appropriation of revenue accruing to the federation and,

•Prof Nwabueze

in particular, the removal of
subsidy on petrol without a
valid Appropriation Act.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in the suit which
has been assigned to Justice
Adamu Bello, is asking for a
declaration that the increase of
petrol pump price from N65
to N97 by the defendants while
sitting as a body or in consultation with one another is in
violation of Section 81 of the
1999 Constitution and Section
7 of the PPPRA Act.

Nigeria rated low in water sanitation
IGERIA has been ratimplementation
ed low in the imple-

N

mentation of the water sanitation policy.
The country, which scored
54.8 per cent in 2010, as
against the 58 per cent it recorded in 2010, is striving to
attain 75 per cent by 2015.
The National Project Coordinator, Urban Water Sector
Reform of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr.
Benson Ajisegiri, said the statistics showed that the country was not making enough
progress.
According to him, the studies have shown that less that
50 per cent of the 36 states
have policy on water sanitation.
Speaking in Lagos at a
stakeholders’ forum on water supply and sanitation pol-

icy, Ajisegiri said state governments must plan their
strategies and develop policies to meet the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGS)
targets for the nation.
He described the nation’s
water sanitation rating from
38 per cent in 2008 to 31 per
cent in 2010 as unacceptable,
saying it showed a decline.
He said he believed that the
conscious efforts made by Lagos and other states to develop a water sanitation policy
and the steps and guidelines
adopted to meet their own
target would go a long way
in helping the country to attain the 75 per cent water supply target in 2015.
His words: “National target for us is to achieve 75 per

cent, but it is not the same in
the 36 states. So, if state governments have to plan their
strategies and develop policies, we will achieve the target.”
Ajisegiri said he was delighted in the consultative
process of developing a water sanitation policy in the
state, describing the document as a roadmap to satisfy
stakeholders.
“Under water reform,
which includes development
of water supply and sanitation policy, we are almost
concluding the process for
Lagos. There has been a lot
of consultations here, hence
the robust document,” he
said.

Gunmen kill three policemen in Anambra

T

HREE mobile policemen were killed yesterday at Ukpor Police Station in Anambra State.
This is the third time the
gunmen have struck this
week. So far, they have killed
seven policemen and injured
many. Gunmen stole 14 AK47
rifles and freed two suspects
at a police station on Wednesday in Anambra.
It was gathered that about
10 hoodlums drove to the station in a white Hummer bus
and a Hilux van at 1:30am and
started shooting.
Sources said the gunmen
called the names of some policemen and challenged them

From Odogwu Emeka
Odogwu, Nnewi

to come out.
They said the gunmen destroyed part of the station
with a locally-made grenade.
It was learnt the policemen
on duty fled, but two officers;
Mohammed Musa, Ismaila
Danjuma and another unidentified policeman, were shot
dead.
Their bodies have been deposited at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe Univeristy Teaching
Hospital (NAUTH) morgue.
It was learnt the Divisional
Police Officer (DPO), whose
name could not be ascertained,
rushed to the station at 2am

when he was informed of the
attack. But his efforts to mobilise men from other stations
failed, as they did not respond
to his emergency calls.
Sources said the DPO had removed all the arms and ammunition in the armoury after the attack on Amichi Police Station, in which 14 rifles
were stolen, to prevent a recurrence.
Police spokesman Emeka
Chukwuemeka could not be
reached, as his phone was
switched off.
It was learnt the victims
were posted to Ukpor three
weeks ago from Mopol Base
54, Onitsha.

60

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

NEWS
51 rocket launchers seized in raid of
Gombe bomb ‘factory’

S

ECURITY operatives yesterday seized 51 rocket launchers
from a home in Barunde, Gombe, that is used to
manufacture rockets and improvised explosive devices
(IEDs).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the raid,
carried out by State Security Service (SSS) personnel and the
army, came a few hours after four persons were arrested with 60
explosive devices in another part of the city.
The Director of SSS in Gombe State , Mr Bitrus Asha, who
conducted reporters round the ‘factory’, said one man has been
arrested.
Asha said 51 rocket launchers, 48 bags of fertiliser, sulphuric
acid and cortex items were recovered.
Other items recovered are detonators, remote control devices,
different types of chemicals, six containers for preparation of
improvised explosive devices and other items.
He advised people to report suspicious characters to security
agents, adding that the SSS and other security agencies would
reinforce the operation, which would be sustained.

Ahmed, Saraki, others for Okeya Day

K

WARA State Governor
AbdulFatah Ahmed
will tomorrow lead
other personalities to the sixth
edition of the Okeya Day.
They are, Senators Bukola
Saraki and Simeon Ajibola,
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) Chairman in the state,
Alhaji Ishola Balogun and Secretary, Yemi Afolayan.
The main event of the day,
according to the Sixth Okeya
Day Committee Chair, Mr.
Ademola Adedoyin, is the
N250 million Infrastructural
Development Fund Raising.
Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, Mr. Tunde
Folawiyo,
Alhaji
Sule
Akande, Mr. Tunji Gafar and
Toyese Oyinlola are the special launchers.
Also expected are first

RMED robbers yesterday stormed the Potiskum Local Government secretariat in Yobe
State and stole the workers’
March salary.
An eyewitness, who spoke
with our correspondent on
the phone, said the hoodlums arrived the council secretariat about 3.30 pm when
the workers were collecting
their salaries, and shot into

From Duku JOEL, Damaturu

the air. The workers fled
without their money.
The source said movement
has been restricted in Potiskum, while security operatives are trailing the robbers.
Yobe State Police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said
“we have not received report about the robbery.”

Baptist Church holds conference

T

HE 2012 Eschatology
Conference of the New
Dawn Baptist Church,
Victoria Island, Lagos, will
take place from Friday, April
6 to Sunday, April 8 on the
church premises.

The theme of the conference is:“The clock is ticking”.
Evangelist Gboyega Shitta
is expected to be the guest
minister, while Bimogha
Dambo is the conference repertoire.

Church holds crusade

T

HE Glorious Prayer Church will hold a three-day Easter
crusade in Lagos.
The title of the crusade is: “Jesus has paid the price for

all”.
It will feature free medical check-up and distribution of free
drugs.
The General Overseer, Rev. Simeon Bamidele, said there
would also be spiritual counselling. The pastor-in-charge, Yomi
Ariyo, will deliver the sermon.

VACANCIES
A FAST GROWING BAKERY, FAST FOOD INDOOR AND OUTDOOR
CATERING FIRM LOCATED IN PORT HARCOURT HAS VACANCIES
FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS / QUALIFICATIONS
1. MANAGER ;
MINIMUM OF HND AND 5 YEARS WORKING
EXPERIENCE IN BAKERY AND FAST FOOD
OUTFIT .
2. BAKERS;
MINIMUM OF WASC OR GCE AND 3 YEARS
WORKING EXPERIENCE.
3 CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY
MINIMUM OF HND IN SECRETARIAL
ADMINISTRATION, VAST IN COMPUTER AND A
MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS WORKING EXPERIENCE.
4. ACCOUNTANT ; A MINIMUM OF HND IN ACCOUNTING WITH 5
YEARS WORKING EXPERIENCE AND MUST BE
COMPUTER LITERATE WITH SPECIAL REGARDS
TO EXCEL, MS WORDS ETC WILL BE AT
ADVANTAGE.
5. DRIVERS

MINIMUM OF WASC OR GCE WITH 3
YEARS WORKING EXPERIENCE

ANY INTERESTED PERSONS / INDIVIDUALS SHOULD KINDLY
FORWARD HIS OR HER APPLICATIONS AND C / V TO THIS E-MAIL
MandH@yahoo.com NOT LATER THAN 3 WEEKS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

EMBERS of the Joint
Task Force (JTF)
yesterday killed
Fulani militants in the crisisridden Takum, Taraba State.
The soldiers arrested 100.
The attack followed the
killing of two soldiers by the
Fulani militants after torching Tor-Tser, a Tiv settlement in Takum.
Soldiers were drafted to
Takum to keep the peace between the warring Tiv and

•Arrest 100 militants
From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

Fulani communities.
It was gathered that the private parts of the massacred
soldiers were removed, and
their rifles and uniforms taken away.
One soldier sustained an injury after he was shot in the
hand.

“This angered the soldiers
and they attacked the Fulani
militants in their hideouts at
night. Many of them (Fulani
militants) were killed and
scores were arrested,” a military officer, who pleaded
anonymity, told The Nation.
He added: “Two of our men
have been killed, we are
searching for their rifles.”

Police spokesman Ibiang
Mbasike confirmed the arrests. He, however, declined
comment on the killings.
Mbasike said: “Our Divisional Police Officer in the
zone told me that about
eight Fulani militants have
been arrested. They were arrested after being disarmed.”
Soldiers said most of the
arrested Fulani militants are
mercenaries.

Death toll in Maiduguri market killings rises to six

T

WO of the people
seriously
injured
following the gunshot
wounds they sustained during an attack by suspected
Boko Haram members at the
Monday Market, Maiduguri, on Wednesday have died.
Suspected Boko Haram
members killed a spare

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

parts dealer in his shop at
Rowan Zafi Ward, Maiduguri and others at the Monday
Market, Maiduguri.
The latest victims; Mr. Rufus Okafor and his daughter,
Chiamaka Okafor, a final
year student of the Universi-

ty of Maiduguri, were taken
to the Maiduguri Specialist
Hospital for treatment, but
they died a few hours later.
The late Okafor and his
daughter were said to have
been shot about 2:30pm in
his shop at the Monday Market.
During the attack, which

UniAbuja students march on minister’s office

T

HE Federal Government may rescind its
decision on the suspension of four key programmes at the University of
Abuja (UniAbuja), as some of
the aggrieved students yesterday took their protest to
the Federal Ministry of Education.
The protesters had on
Wednesday barricaded the
Airport/Giri Expressway,
leading to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to register their displeasure over
government’s decision.
But the situation was
brought under control by security personnel.
Over 1,000 students pro-

From Gbenga Omokhunu,
Abuja

tested the suspension of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine,
Engineering and Agricultural Science programmes in the
institution, a situation that has
degenerated into a disruption
of academic activities in the
institution.
It is believed that government is working on the advice of the Needs Assessment
Committee it constituted to
assess the priorities and needs
of public-based universities in
the country.
The committee is headed
by Mahmood Yakubu, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary
Education Trust Fund (TET-

fund). The committee recently visited the institution
where it found out that most
of the affected departments
lacked essential facilities.
There was no clinical laboratory for Medicine, while
Vet Medicine and Agricultural Sciences lacked an ideal
farm settlement for practical.
Minister of Education, Ruqayyatu Rufa’I, engaged the
Vice Chancellor, Sunday Adelabu, other senior officials
of the university and students’ representatives in a
truce meeting that lasted for
several hours at the ministry.
It was inconclusive and has
been rescheduled for next
Thursday.

DG, treasurer, cashier arrested over
N21m missing salary

T

HE Director-General,
Service and Administration, Treasurer,
Cashier and two other workers of the Tarkaa Council in
Benue State have been arrested and detained at the CID
cell over a missing N21 million.
The money was meant for
staff’s salary, which was supposed to be paid before the
Easter break.
The Nation learnt that the
money was withdrawn from
a bank, but the cashier, allegedly acting on the instruction
of the treasurer, refused to

From Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi

pay the workers.
He was alleged to have decided to defer payment till
yesterday.
The money was said to be
kept in the cashier’s office and
locked in a drawer.
When the workers resumed
yesterday, they were shocked
to hear that the money had
been stolen.
When our reporter visited
Tarkaa Local Government secretariat at Wannune, angry
workers were seen milling
around the chairman’s office,
discussing the incident.

An Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) activist, Mr. Justine Anjemba, said he suspected foul play.
“How can they say they kept
such a huge amount in the office? Please let the chairman
and the council officials tell
the police more about the
missing cash. I think they are
playing games with the workers’ salary,” he said.
The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer Ejike
Alaribe confirmed the arrest
of the officials and said the
police are investigating the
matter.

lasted for about five minutes, 12 people including
traders and customers were
said to have been injured.
Sympathisers have been
trooping to the home of the
late Okafor at the Federal
Low Cost Housing, Maiduguri to commiserate with the
family.

Firm to restore
human value
A PERSONAL injury consultant company, Strategic Insight
Solution Limited (SISL), has
urged Nigerians to increase
the value of their lives
through compensation from
personal injuries.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Joel Akande,
said lack of information on
how to get compensation
after suffering personal
injuries (PI) would soon stop,
with the involvement of his
company.
He said the company was
established to protect Nigerians from personal injuries
arising from assault, rape,
medical and professional
negligence. He added that
other personal injuries that
can be taken care of are those
sustained at work and in
public places and product
liability in which a client or
consumer suffers an injury.
Akande said Nigerians
would no longer incur losses
from personal injuries if they
register with restitution
companies, adding that
service and product providers
would also be made to take
responsibility for their actions
with the establishment of
restitution companies in the
country.
“In the case of omission, for
example, if the doctor mistreats you or a local government fails to cover a manhole
and somebody falls inside
and breaks his leg, the council
will be held responsible,” he
said.

61

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS
Mali’s junta seeks Western intervention

T

Lawyers, ACN, David-West insist
on the President’s sack

•ECOWAS considers military option

HE head of the military
junta that sparked international outrage when
it seized power in Mali two
weeks ago begged Western
powers yesterday to help it
counter an Al-Qaeda-backed
revolt.
Capt. Amadou Sanogo told
the French dailies Le Monde
and Liberation his government would need international assistance to regain control
of the north of the country,
which has fallen to the Tuareg rebels.
“If the great powers are bale
to cross oceans to battle fundamentalist structures in Afghanistan, what’s stopping
them coming to us? Our committee wants the best for the
country,” he said, in an interview.
“The enemy is known and

it is not in Bamako. If a force
was to intervene it would
have to do so in the north,”
he said, referring to the vast
desert territory seized by
rebels, which includes the
towns of Gao and Timbuktu.
Foreign powers have expressed concern about the
rapid advance of the Tuaregs,
a mix of separatist forces and
Islamists, including fighters
loyal to Al-Qaeda’s North African wing, Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
But the international community has also condemned
the March 22 putsch which
brought Sanogo to power, at
least in the parts of the country still controlled by government forces in the south and
west.
“In Bamako, life continues,
the administration goes

about its affairs, people look
after their businesses, our
committee is respected. So
there’s no crisis in Bamako.
What’s urgent is the North,”
said Sanogo.
Sanogo, whose coup overthrew Mali’s elected leader
President Amadou Toumani
Toure, said he saw no difference between the rebels fighting for an independent Tuareg homeland and their Islamist allies.
“Why would I draw a distinction between armed
groups?” he demanded.
“As long as they sow terror, I don’t differentiate between them. The doors to dialogue are open, we will talk,
but we will not negotiate
away Mali’s territorial integrity,” he insisted.
“The situation has been crit-

Continued from page 2

•Capt. Sanogo

ical for a while. That’s the reason for which we overthrew
the power in place. There was
treason, the army was abandoned in the face of the Tuareg rebellion,” he argued.
“Today, it’s no longer a simple rebellion. It’s Islamist
groups basing themselves in
the north of the country. If
Mali is left alone to face this
problem, Africa and the
world will face the consequences.

Gunmen kills 10 security operatives in Afghanistan

G

UNMEN attacked an
outpost of a government-sponsored militia and killed 10 members of
the security force in western
Afghanistan, officials said
yesterday.
The Taliban are targeting
Afghan and NATO security
forces as they fight to assert
their power and undermine
United States efforts to try to
build up the Afghan military,
which will take the lead in
combat responsibility over
the next couple of years.
In other violence, a suicide
bomber struck a bazaar in a
northeastern district yesterday, killing two people and

wounding 16 others.
The attacks appear to be part
of an increase in violence at
the beginning of the spring
fighting season. During the
harsh Afghan winter, snow
often blocks roads and fighting dies down.
Taliban spokesman Qari
Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack on
the outpost late Wednesday
in Farah province’s Khaki
Safed district. Militants armed
with assault rifles stormed the
post manned by members of
the Afghan Local Police, said
provincial police chief Shamsul Rahman Zahid.
The militants shot a guard

who was posted outside,
then pushed into the compound and opened fire on
those inside, said Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, the district administrator.
Another two militia members were dragged outside
and shot dead, while four
militiamen survived the attack, Zahid said.
The Afghan Local Police is
a force created with the help
of the American military.
They have been described as
an armed neighborhood
watch. The members come
from the local community
and receive a small government salary to man check-

New clashes as
UN team arrives
in Syria

Malawi’s president unconscious
after cardiac arrest

M

ALAWI’s President
Bingu wa Mutharika, 78, was unconscious in hospital after suffering a heart attack yesterday,
amid mounting discontent
with his leadership and demands for his resignation.
“He had a cardiac arrest, he
is still unconscious since 9:00
am (0700 GMT),” a senior official at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe said on condition of anonymity.
According to the source,
Mutharika collapsed at his official residence and was
rushed to hospital in an ambulance. He is currently being
treated at an intensive care
unit and his condition has
been described as critical.
He has been visited by senior politicians from his cabinet, including his wife and

E

children.
“Those who visited the
president in the intensive
care unit included his brother Peter Mutharika, the First
Lady Callista, his daughter
Duwa and the Chief Secretary
to the President, Bright Msaka,” the source said.
Energy and Environmental
Minister Goodall Gondwe
also visited the president.
Mutharika, a former World
Bank economist, was re-elected with a sweeping majority
in 2009 as president of the
poor southern African country.
But his second term has
been marred by anti-government protests, with activists
accusing him of mismanaging the economy and trampling
on
democratic
freedoms.

points and oversee security in
their area. They receive a few
weeks of training before starting the work.
The suicide bombing occurred in the Kishim district of
Badakhshan province, which is
relatively peaceful.
Provincial governor Shah
Waliullah Adeeb said the attacker was targeting Nazok
Mir, an area elder who commanded Afghan fighters
against the Soviets in the 1980s.
Insurgents killed Mir’s brother
last year.
Insurgents plot to kill leading figures in the north to eliminate opposition to the Taliban,
which has its strongholds in the
south.

S

•Mutharika

Two weeks ago he vowed
to govern until his term ends
in 2014 after a leading rights
group threatened unrest if he
did not resign or call a referendum on his leadership.
“I would like to say that
Bingu doesn’t run away from
work, Bingu doesn’t desert
responsibility even if the going gets tough,” he told a rally.

YRIAN troops have
launched fresh assaults
on rebels, activists say,
as an envoy of United Nations
mediator Kofi Annan arrived
in Damascus to discuss implementing a ceasefire plan.
Activists say several towns,
including Homs, Deraa and
the Douma suburb of Damascus, have been shelled.
The UN Security Council
has urged Syria to carry out
the plan “urgently and visibly”, with a ceasefire by 10
April.
It calls on Damascus to pull
back its troops and heavy
weapons from city centres by
that date, and for all parties
including the opposition to
cease armed violence within
48 hours of this pull-back.

spokesman and a greenhorn
PDP spokesman seeking relevance, we will like to put it on
record that their statements are
‘full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’ - apology to
William Shakespeare.”
The ACN said presidential
spokesman Dr Reuben Abati’s
explanation that the church’s
renovation is part of the construction company’s Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) and that the church does
not belong to Jonathan or his
family compounds the issue.
The party said: “What is this
company’s track record of CSR
in Bayelsa or any other state in
Nigeria, where it has obtained
billions of naira in contracts?
Why did the company choose
the President’s village to do its
CSR? Even if it is CSR, is it not
a gift to the President’s community? What qualifies that
community for this CSR above
any other community? Assuming it was even legitimate
CSR, shouldn’t the President
see the obvious conflict of interest in a church where he
worships being gratuitously
renovated by a government
contractor?
“In other climes, the President and the company will give

a full account and a full scale
investigation will be launched.
Instead of the President’s handlers to be remorseful for what
is, at the very least, a poor error of judgment by the President or his community in accepting this Greek Gift, they
resorted to firing darts at imaginary political opponents of
the President.
“The reactions never mentioned the fact that the President himself, in his now trademark Freudian Slip, admitted
soliciting and receiving the
‘gift’ from the construction
firm. One would have expected that they will put a lie to
this by causing the President’s
speech at the inauguration of
the church to be played for
Nigerians to hear.
“The truth is that the President’s handlers are either
grossly incompetent or are terribly overwhelmed by the demands of their office. Otherwise, they would have ensured
that the President does not
make a statement that will put
him in bad light. Had they
done that, they would have
saved themselves from having to issue, in regular intervals, statements that do no
credit to the competence and
professional standing of those
who sign them.”

U.S, UK issue security alert on Nigeria
Continued from page 1

The UK Foreign Office and
the US Embassy in Abuja, issuing the updated travel warnings, noted that Boko Haram
carried out attacks on Christmas Day last year.
The UK advised its citizens
to avoid travel to Borno, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina,
Sokoto and Yobe states.
“There is a high threat of
terrorist attack during religious festivals,” the UK warning read.
The US warning noted the
near-daily attacks in Nigeria,
noting that there have been
“continued threats, including
several that mention US interests”.
The warning also noted that
personnel from the US Embassy no longer travel to
northern Nigeria, a rule put
in place after a Boko Haram
attack on Kano in January
killed at least 185 people.
“The US Embassy continues
to monitor closely the ongoing threats posed by Nigerian
extremist and criminal
groups, and their stated intentions to carry out attacks
against the Nigerian government and western interests
and targets in Nigeria,” the
message read.
The police chief directed
zonal and state commands to

provide adequate security to
all places of worship during the
Easter celebrations.
The Commissioner of Police,
FCT Command, Mr. Ade
Shinaba, placed a travel restriction on police personnel.
The IGP’s statement said zonal Assistant Inspectors-General and Police Commissioners
should ensure proper coverage
of all vulnerable points and
highways during and after the
period.
The police boss praised Nigerians for being co-operative
with policemen in their various communities and called for
more support and understanding of the security challenges.
The statement praised for
their tireless and selfless service to the nation.
The statement reads: “The
administration of the force is
committed to giving a new
lease of life to the Nigerian
Police and ensuring that its past
glories are restored, as a highly dedicated, motivated and
efficient police force”.
Abubakar urged Nigerians to
avail the force with useful information to track down criminals.
Shinaba directed police patrol teams to be very proactive
and maintain adequate security around worship and recreation centres.

Fayemi, Ahmed, Osun ACN, others preach love among Christians

KITI and Kwara states’
Governors Kayode
Fayemi and Abdulfatah
Ahmed yesterday urged
Christians to celebrate the
Easter with love and rededication to the nation’s unity.
In their messages to Christians, the governors noted
that Jesus Christ sacrificed
himself for mankind, urging
them to emulate the Messiah.
In a statement by his Chief
Press Secretary Olayinka
Oyebode, the Ekiti State governor congratulated the people of the state for witnessing another Easter and all
Christians for the successful
completion of the fasting period.
He noted that the Easter

•Osun Speaker hails Aregbesola for free rail service

From Adekunle Jimoh,

Ilorin , Adesoji Adeniyi,
Osogbo

offers Christians and the residents an opportunity for sober reflection, urging Christians to use the period to pray
for peace, development and
prosperity of Ekiti State in its
ongoing transformation of
key sectors of the economy.
Fayemi hailed Christians in
the state for living in harmony with followers of other
religions.
The governor said though
the task before him and his
team is enormous, he added
that success is achievable with
the support of the electorate
who voted him into office.

He urged the residents to
be moderate in their celebration, saying Easter is not for
eating and drinking alone but
for reflecting on the past and
hoping for a better future.
Ahmed urged Christians to
use the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ to show greater commitment to peace and
unity of Nigeria.
In a message by his Chief
Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, the governor
said the period should be
used to reflect on the essence
of nation-building.
He noted that the death and
resurrection of Jesus climaxed his mission on earth,
which is the redemption of

mankind and the restoration
of the essence of God.
Ahmed thanked Christian
and other religious leaders in
the state for cooperating with
his administration towards
attaining harmony.
The governor appealed to
Nigerians, irrespective of
their religious persuasions,
to use the period to imbibe
and entrench the values of
good neighbourliness and
patriotism so that the nation
would continue to live together in peace.
He said that the Easter period provides a good opportunity for Nigerians to work
towards resolving the
present peace and security

challenges confronting the
country.
In a statement by the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the ACN Chairman urged Christians to attune more to the lessons of
total commitment to God
and have faith in Jesus in all
situations.
The Speaker of Osun State
House of Assembly Najeem
Salaam urged Christians in
the state to allow the teachings of Christ to guide their
paths.
In a statement by his Press
Secretary, Mr. Goke Butika,
the Speaker noted that good
neighbourliness and love of
others,
which
Jesus
preached, should be ob-

served and imbibed by all
during and after the festivities.
The Speaker hailed Governor Rauf Aregbesola for
making rail transport accessible to the poor, who may
not afford transport fare hike
that happen during festivities.
Salaam, who noted that the
gesture is commendable,
added that the free train service has proved to the world
that democracy is about people and for the people.
He urged the residents to
continue to support the government with prayers, saying
if governance is left to politicians alone, the masses may
not have good things to celebrate.

62

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

63

42ND KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING
The Kano State Executive Council held its fourty second (42nd) sitting today Wednesday 4th April, 2012 (13th Jumada Auwal,
1433 AH) during which various submissions from different MDAs were presented and received deliberation and blessing of
the Council as follows.
Today Wednesday 4th April, 2012 (13th Jumada Auwal, 1433 AH) is the fourty second (42nd) sitting of the Kano State
Executive Council and is in maintenance of the tradition of continuity with previous sittings during which Council typically
deliberated on important policy issues and programs that impact positively on the quality of life of our citizenry. Records have
it that the present administration maintains a steady vigorous tempo in pursuing projects that touch on everyday life of our
people and for which an expenditure of over forty one billion naira (41 Billion) has been approved for execution from its first
to the forty first Council sitting (from inception to date). Tangible progress has so far been attained on improving the quality
and quantity of services delivered by Government in the areas of provision of employment opportunities, healthcare delivery,
infrastructural development/maintenance, water supply, agricultural production, education, rehabilitation/reorientation of our
youth through skill acquisition programs aimed at inculcating self-reliance, ensuring security of life and property of our people.
A conspicuous and vigorous tempo has been maintained in the execution of an expenditure of the average of up to
N1,004,497,849.00 per sitting up to the 40th Council sitting.
1. Office of the Secretary to the State Government
2. Ministry for Rural and Community Development
3. Women Affairs Ministry
4. Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Cooperative and Tourism
5. Ministry of Science and Technology
6. Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Total

Today Wednesday 4th April, 2012 the Council deliberated on twenty two (22) memoranda submitted by twelve (12) MDAs.
Seventeen (17) memoranda entailed projects with monetary cost implications while the remaining five (5) do not. The total
expenditure deliberated upon and approved for execution by the Council today is N1,499,896.643.52? As follows:1. Office of the Deputy Governor
The Council approved release of the sum of N6,200,000.00 to the Office of the Deputy Governor of Kano State Dr. Abdullahi
Umar Ganduje charged under budget code 23/30/02 for onward payment to the Committee charged with organizing and executing
of the foundation laying ceremony of the Northwest University Kano on 14th April, 2012 which is appropriate pending the
first year or Democracy celebration day (i.e 29th May, 2012) of this administration. This is an august occasion as it celebrates
the Foundation laying ceremony of the second of two Universities established in two tenures of Gov Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
This ceremony is to draw participation from across the North – West Geopolitical zone in order to sensitize stakeholders about
the educational challenges facing the zone and ginger up deserving commitments so as to advance the course of education in
the zone and the nation at large. As such, the benefits to be drawn from this occasion are infinite.
2. Ministry of Rural and Community Development
i. Retirement of cash savings from the Rural Electrification Board Account:The Council noted retirement of N6,138,725.00 as cash saved upon successful completion of the rehabilitation exercise carried
out on vandalized electricity network on which an extra – material savings/surplus (from material purchased) after judicious
usage of the N199,812.980.00 approved for release to the Rural Electrification Board via conclusion number SSCA/CA/EX/18/
1/130 dated 17th November, 2011 to undertake the second phase direct rehabilitation of vandalized electricity networks in
some parts of the State. Upon successful completion of the work, the saving of N6,138,725.00 realized was used to further
execute some additional electrification projects (outside the shortlisted ones) requested by members of the public.
3. Ministry of Education
N371,532,600.00 was approved for release by the Council to the Ministry of Education to be used as payment for registration
and accreditation fees for WAEC, NECO, TAHFEEZ/TAJWEED (NBAIS) and female internal examinations for the year 2012.
Council is aware of the indispensible need for the funds required for conducting examinations whether external (WAEC, NECO
and NBAIS types) internal (KERD and AIED types) or general internal examinations since they provide the most reliable means
of assessing and evaluating the quality of standards achieved by learners whose performances determine the quality of certificates
awarded. Such certificates or their
equivalents are still the main ‘tickets’ or pre-requisites that give access to further education at tertiary institutions of learning.
Again, the “Girl Child Initiative” policy of this administration informed the positive decision of the Council in approving
release of the fund to ensure registration of female students for the Kano Educational Research Department (KERD) and Arabic
Islamic Education Department (AIED) of the Ministry of Education internal examinations. Continuously and relentlessly, this
administration provides qualitative and important services for the advancement of education at all levels whereby the entire
sector enjoys priority attention.
Evidently, several projects aimed at improving the quality of provision for education are being executed. Such include construction
and establishment of new schools, construction of more classrooms and staff quarters in existing schools, provision of laboratory
equipment and consumables, provision of learners’ and teachers’ furniture, etc.
This is being done at all levels of conventional/regular education (basic, intermediate and tertiary). In fact, the unsurpassed
policies on the provision and supply of uniform to learners at the lower basic or junior primary level and provision and supply
of food (feeding) to all learners in primary schools across the 44 Local Government Councils in the State are being implemented
with all the seriousness they deserved. In fact, the revival of the entire activities of the Community Reorientation Committee
(CRC) attests the Administration’s commitment to improve standards of education.
Notwithstanding, this administration continues to shoulder the responsibility of paying for registration of our candidates for
Senior Secondary Certificate (SSCE) and other examinations. Encouragingly, the Government continues to reward good
performance at SSCE examinations by donating Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination registration
forms to deserving candidates. Nevertheless, the approved sum of money for the purpose at hand is to be shared between the State
Government and the 44 Local Government Councils across the State; Thus:1. State Government
2. 44 Local Government
Total

-

N41,816,000.00
N329,181,600.00
N370,997,600.00

4. Office of the Secretary to the State Government
Five (5) issues (projects) under the auspices of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government were deliberated upon and
approved for execution by the Council: viz:i. The Council approved the release of N14,000,000.00 to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for purchase of
1000 copies of four (4) sets of books consisting of past examination question papers and answers for eight (8) core subjects put
together as reference materials for all category of schools. The books are to be distributed to some Senior Secondary Schools,
KERD, KSSSMB, Science and Technical Schools Board and the Ministry of Education to be placed in libraries.
ii. N6,500,000.00 was approved for release by the Council for the SSG’s Office to execute rehabilitation work on seven (7No.)
Intake and Kwarin Sako water pumping station with a view to ensuring 24hours working capacity of the station.
5. Office of the Chief of Staff
a. N11,450,000.00 was approved for release by the Council to the Office of the Chief of Staff for onward payment to the Office
of the Special Advisor on Inter – Party Relations for disbursement to twenty nine (29) other Political parties operating in the
State as financial support in order to enable each of them pay the necessary rent money for their offices across the State. This is
in fairness to the dictates of the rules of the game of politics to engender maintenance of a level playing ground.
6. Ministry of Justice
Council deliberated and endorsed the “Abubakar Rimi Television Corporation (Amendment) bill 2012” submitted by the
Ministry of Justice and directed for onward transmission to the Kano State House of Assembly for consideration and passage
into law.

accrued between May – December, 2011 on the old salary rate and
N6,128,276.40 from January – March, 2012 based on the new minimum
wage totaling to N24,513,105.00 and books allowance in respect of
237 eligible medical students in the sum of N12,144,733.20 which
brings the total sum approved to N31,193,114.71. Council considered
the importance of maintaining the bond provisions between the medical
students and the State Government in deciding on the matter so as to
ensure the availability of vitally required manpower in the health sector.
10. Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
N98,850,000.00 was approved for release by the Council to the
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the immediate
purchase of one hundred (100) tons of different crop seeds from May
Agro-seed company of Turkey. The crop seed types include 40 tons of

Rabi’u Musa Kwankawaso

maize, 10 tons of sorghum, 30 tons of cotton, 5 tons of tomato and 15 tons of groundnuts. All are crops commonly grown in Kano
State. Council considered and approved release of the fund in recognition of the fact that seed planted is one of the most important
pre-requisites in crop production.
11. Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Co-operatives and Tourism.
Three (3) issues submitted by this Ministry were deliberated upon by the Council as follows:a. First Report of the Committee enacted to ensure employment of State indigenes by all operating industries in Kano State:The Council read, considered and accepted contents of the report and
i. Directed the Ministry of Justice to come up with a draft Law that will provide legal backing for the policy on employment
of indigenes at lower cadre by the private sector.
ii. Directed the Directorate of Youth Development, Guidance and Counseling to send Seven-up Bottling Company the list of
applicants for the 4 posts of salesmen/Drivers for employment.
iii. Directed the Secretary to the State Government to write and present commendation letters to the following individuals and
organizations for according priority to the State indigenes when recruiting works:1. Klysat Wire and Cable Nigeria Limited
2. Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc
3. Mario Jose Enterprises Limited (Mamuda Group of Companies).
4. Angel Spinning and Dyeing Limited.
5. Fata Tanning Limited (Lee Group of Companies)
6. Umar Abdulhamid (Group Head, Retail Banking NW) of First Bank.
7. Alhassan Abdulkarim (Relationship Manager) of Access Bank.
8. Yusuf Yakubu Kankarofi and Alhaji Balarabe Yakasai of Mamuda Group of Companies.
iv. Considered and approved the upgrading of the Committee on ensuring employment of State indigenes by all operating
industries in Kano from Ad-Hoc to a permanent standing committee.
v. Considered and approved the allocation of 18 seater bus to the Committee through the Office of the Secretary to the State
Government to cater for its smooth operation.
vi. Considered and approved the release of N450,000.00 to aid the operations of the Committee for the second quarter (April
– June, 2012) under the relevant vote on Committees and Commissions under the auspices of the Office of the Secretary to the
Government.
Progress Report
The esteem Council has today received various reports on the progress of activities been approved/executed by the present
Administration through its various Ministries, Departments and Agencies as follows:Launching of Consumer Protection Committee Council noted the launching of sensitization programme for Consumer Protection
Committee. The programme which is planning to go round all major markets across the State is aimed at safeguarding the right
of
consumers for access to qualitative products.
Government Water Improvement Strategy
A brief was made by the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources on their official trip to China for physical inspection
of 600mm (42km length) and 1000diametre pipes procured by the State Government for laying from Bagwai - Bichi to Miltara
and Challawa – Goron Dutse respectively.
Council noted with appreciation that the 600mm approved to be laid from Bagwai to Miltara is now in Lagos State waiting
conveyance to Kano for onward execution of the work while the 1000diametre pipes has been in advance stage of production
in China and would soon be shipped to Nigeria.
KwanKwasiyya Babes Football Club
Noted by Council today is the impressive performance of Kwankwasiyya Babes during Youth Tournament at Dubai. The club
defeated Sudan and Ireland while lost to Saudi Arabia and won the second position in the competition. Earning the second
position enables the club to represent Nigeria comes July this year in Saudi Arabia for the next match.
The club’s wonderful performance earns it to sale out five of its players. Three to Aljazeera and Two to Al-Shabab Football club,
Abu-Dhabi.
Polio Eradication Campaign
Gigantic effort and various strategies were employed by the Committee of Polio Eradication which yielded positive result in
terms of compliance by resisting families. Council noted the development and appreciated the assistance of Emirate Council,
Hisbah Board, Nigerian Police and the general public for their support and cooperation to the success of the exercise.
Disbursement of N220m Vehicle Loan to Civil Servant
Council noted the disbursement of the total sum of N220million as vehicle loan to various civil servants in the State. While
acknowledging the fact that the scheme is part of Present Administration’s welfare package to its workforce, Council called on
the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture by putting in their best in the day to day discharge of their various responsibilities.
Selling of Government Houses (GP) to Civil Servants
The State citizens are aware of the Present Administration Plan to sell out Government Properties to enable the occupants own
the houses as well as pave way for Government to utilize the proceeds realized for building other new houses. Council has noted
the progress of the exercise which has now reached an advance stage.
Passing out of Batch “C” NYSC Members
Council noted that the batch C NYSC members are about to finish their one month orientation camp and would be deployed for
their one year primary assignment. You may recall that the State as a result of massive expansion in its educational sector which
translates into the constructions of more classrooms and the establishment of new schools required more teachers approved that
all Corps Members posted to the State will be posted to schools to teach with the exception of those with specialized discipline
like health professionals.
Having noted that the earlier batch now serving have been given an intensive workshop with a view to sensitizing them on
teaching principles to enable them adjust to their new roles as teachers, Council directed for conducting same to the incoming
batch to serve the purpose.
Proposed Sport Complex at NAMA Site K/Na’isa
A joint Inspection to the site was conducted by Hon. Commissioners of Works, Housing & Transport and Lands & Physical
Planning to ensure smooth conduct of the contract at the site. The Council directed the team to routinely inspect the work along
with other ones for proper execution of Government contract.
Noted also by Council is the progress of Government House fencing contract which reached about 95% completion stage.

7. Ministry of Health
The sum of N48,823,272.00 was approved for release by the Council to the Ministry for onward payment to the Office of the
Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Sanitation and Immunization (Lafiya Jari) to facilitate the third (3rd) batch lafiya
jari empowerment program involving 200 unemployed health professionals from across the 44 Local Government Councils in
the State. Council considered the incumbent Government’s commitment to the provision of qualitative and reliable health care
delivery practices of which access to genuine pharmaceutical products is one. This 3rd batch is only in continuation with an
already started laudable program.

Illegal Motor Park
A report was received by Government from the Committee on enforcement in respect of 15 designated Motor Parks in the State.
Council noted and appreciate public observance as well as enjoined them to continue supporting the measure for the sake of
security.

8. Ministry of Land and Physical Planning.
Two projects were approved for execution by this Ministry they include:a. N22,447,542.90 was approved for release by the Council to the Ministry to effect payment of compensation for structures
within the School of Informatics premises, Kura. Council upheld its commitment to the establishment of this institution in this
important decision making.

State GDP
Council noted the State successful boosting of GDP this year as testify by the National Planning Committee. In this direction,
Council directed Ministry for Planning & Budget to continue working harder towards boosting and sustaining the tempo.
Courtesy Visit to His Excellency the Governor, by RUFOBA Council noted that a courtesy visit was paid to His Excellency,
the Governor by Rumfa College Old Boys Association (RUFOBA) delegation under the chairmanship of Alh. Nu’man Barau.
While appreciating the effort of the association towards various logistics support to the school, Council called on similar
associations to emulate this famous association through putting in the best to their schools.

9. Office of the Head of Civil Service
Council approved the release of the total sum of N31,193,114.71 to the Office of the Head of Civil Service for further disbursement
to sixty nine (69) bonded eligible medical students presently at 300 level. The money include payment for arrears of N12,920,105.10

HE hot news from the capital of the
Pace setter State this past week was
about former President Olusegun
Obasanjo’s visit to former Governor Rashidi
Adewolu Ladoja. From what we now know,
Chief Obasanjo and Chief Ladoja had a private meeting in the house of the latter and
both had lunch together, courtesy of the lady
of the house. This is normal African hospitality and nothing sinister ought to be read
into the matter of a former president and a
former governor having a sumptuous dish
of pounded yam, except, of course, when
we are reminded of a history of pounded
yam lunches and dinners that ended up in
disaster. Still the issue is not the lunch.
The purpose of the visit, according to
news stories, was to reconcile Chief Ladoja
with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State in particular
and the nation in general. There is also nothing unusual about this. After all, the Almighty tells us that those who engage in
the commendable work of reconciliation
are blessed. So what is to worry about? As
one sympathiser put it, only those who do
not wish the party well would oppose the
move toward reconciliation.
Putting it that way of course can only
mean one thing: it’s all about the party. This
raises the question: does the good of Ladoja
count? Does his wellbeing matter? Does his
interest count?
As I think about these questions, I am reminded of the victimisation of the former
governor in the hands of the party hierarchy right from the beginning of his tenure
in 2003 up until his illegal impeachment,
reinstatement, and denial of a second term
ticket. It’s hard to think of any other politician who suffered more abuse and indignity in office as a result of a deliberate action of his party leadership than Ladoja. And
while it lasted, Ladoja was able to count on
the firm support of progressive leaders of
opposition party, including AD and AC at
the time.
Now that the same cabal that tormented
him for four years are back in his house to
be reconciled to him, Ladoja, the once bitterly divorced wife, has become a beautiful
bride again. And I am reminded of Flyleaf’s
Beautiful Bride lyric: Beautified diversity,
functioning as one body/Every part encouraged by the other/No one independent of
another/You’re irreplaceable, indispensable/You’re incredible, incredible./Beautiful bride, body of Christ/One flesh abiding, strong and unifying/Fighting ends in
forgiveness/Unite and fight all division,
beautiful bride.
Chief Obasanjo must be humming the tune
of this song as he woke up that beautiful

SEGUN
GBADEGESIN
gbadegesin@thenationonlineng.net

A beautiful bride’s dilemma

‘

What can possibly be at
stake in the burden that
Ladoja has to carry in
this matter? He has to
decide whether to go
back to PDP, stay in
Accord Party or join
with Progressives, who
stood by him through
thick and thin, to move
the Pacesetter State
forward together.
• Obasanjo

• Ladoja

morning on his way to Ibadan. A self-acclaimed born-again, he must have thought
about his legacy and it must have occurred
to him that he needed a break. His concern,
apart from strengthening the party,certainly
has something to do with his own standing
as party leader under whose watch the party
was routed in his domain. If he thinks this
way, he needs to stop worrying himself because it was clear from the beginning that
the party was not in the reckoning of southwesterners. That was the clear signal in 1999.
Assume, however, that Obasanjo is concerned about his legacy and standing. He
now needs Ladoja to redeem him from the
scorn of especially the national leadership.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, himself a victim of Obasanjo’s fury, has not relented in his heaping all the blame for the
woes of the party on his former boss. The

RIPPLES
OBASANJO NO LONGER RELEVANT TO
ANYBODY–ACN

Baba is RELEVANT to his FOWLS

NO. 2087

‘

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

TOMORROW IN THE NATION
‘In many homes today, most children who suffer such abuses are
afraid to speak because their parents never gave them the opportunity
to do so. Many parents simply do not have the time to listen to them.
They are too busy trying to make money and, in so doing, neglect
those little things that bond the family together.’
YOMI ODUNUGA

point, then, is that this is about Obasanjo as
much as it is about the party. To leave a lasting legacy, Obasanjo would like to recapture the Southwest for PDP; and to realise
this goal, he needs Ladoja. This is Obasanjo’s
burden. Recall that Obasanjo was not as passionately disposed to Atiku’s entreaties even
when the latter paid him a reconciliation
visit. Ladoja is the beautiful bride that is “irreplaceable, indispensable” and “incredible.” Obasanjo’s is the burden of abusive
husband who divorced his wife on grounds
of irreconcilable differences and later found
that he cannot live without her.
The beautiful bride has her own burden.
Will she fall into the trap a second time?
Will she take the bait?
There is a well-known illustration of the
epic of an abusive relationship that goes
down to the core of the Yoruba value sys-

HARDBALL

I

T is hard to imagine that even in a failing
state a judicial officer could use power so
flagrantly and as flippantly as Magistrate
A.A. Oshoniyi of an Ikeja Magistrate Court
did on Wednesday in Lagos. What sort of
provocation could have led a judicial officer
to order in one fell swoop the arrest of about
13 journalists who were in the court to cover
a coroner’s inquest? The reporters involved
in the misunderstanding recounted an argument with a prosecutor and social worker
called Rose who mistreated the journalists
by ordering them out of the court. Her angry
and insulting tone and refusal to listen to
explanation led to an altercation that drew
the attention of the magistrate. Oshoniyi,
who should have handled the misunderstanding with the maturity and civilised comportment of a judicial officer simply entered
the fray on the side of Rose and ordered the
police to arrest the reporters.
When judicial officers misuse power, it does
not of course indicate that the whole judiciary regularly behaves atrociously. But it reminds all of us of the unending woes we face
as a nation. Add the magistrate’s intemperate behaviour to the unthinking reaction of
the police invited by the irate prosecutor into
the fray and you will get a clear picture of
the problems and malfeasances undermining good and modern governance in Nigeria.

Disgraceful use of
judicial power
The police were not only brutal in arresting
the journalists whom they accused of behaving as if they were above the law, they also
dehumanised them.
Lagos Police spokesman, Mr Joseph
Jaiyeoba, offered an interesting justification
of the brutalisation of the journalists. When
a person resists arrest, he says, the struggle
between him and the police tends to look
like harassment. In addition, he says worryingly, when a judge gives an order, the police are bound to carry it out. He did not
draw a line between lawful and unlawful
orders. What if the magistrate had given an
order for the journalists to be shot, would
the police have obeyed simply because the
order was given by a judge even outside the
purview of a trial?
The orientation of the police, the fury of the
magistrate, and the hysteria of the prosecutor/social worker leave much to be desired.
They not only abused power, they also
showed us what long journey to civilised
governance lies ahead of us. Both the magis-

tem. It is the story of Orunmila and Iwa.
Orunmila married Iwa, the daughter of Suru.
Iwa was radiantly beautiful and tried to do
her best for her husband. But Orunmila was
never satisfied. When Iwa couldn’t take it
any more she took leave of Orunmila whose
fortune thereafter dwindled and he was
forced to look for Iwa for reconciliation and
redemption. Iwa, knowing better, refused to
go back. Will Ladoja be the Iwa of the 21st
century?
What can possibly be at stake in the burden that Ladoja has to carry in this matter?
He has to decide whether to go back to PDP,
stay in Accord Party or join with
Progressives, who stood by him through
thick and thin, to move the Pacesetter State
forward together.His decision on any of
these has to be based on his own rational
interest. That is what politics is all about, as
they say. But politics also has to do with virtuous intents and outcomes. You go into
politics to make a difference in the lives of
people, and not just about your own bottom
line. If that is the case, then it behooves a
politician to demonstrate consistency of action and nobility of intentions.
It is unclear how Ladoja can expect that the
people who are loyal to him and the whole
of Oyo State will fare better in a PDP-controlled government. Furthermore, it remains to be seen what welcoming hands are
spread for him in the Oyo State PDP. Already,
there are discordant notes about the reconciliation moves. Once beaten, twice shy is
still a wise counsel of the elders.If there are
no other suitors, isn’t remaining single and
living a peaceful life a better option?
This leads us to the issue of other suitors.
Surely, this beautiful bride does not lack suitors. Indeed, as remarked above, out of genuine love and sympathy for his unjustified victimisation, members of the progressive
movement devoted time and resources to his
support even when they were themselves in
the crosshairs of the heavy metal of his tormentor. If you were so loved by progressive
suitors when no one in your husband’s family cared about your pain, doesn’t it make
rational sense to pitch your tent with them?
Of course, it takes two to do the proverbial
tango, and progressives must redouble their
efforts in outsmarting those tacticians of the
ruling party who swallow their pride and
embrace reconciliation. The need to mobilise and recruit on behalf of progressive
agenda has never been greater and it matters
a lot how many people are on board. While
ideas matter and in the end the distribution
of the dividends of democracy is what counts,
the role of numbers cannot be discounted.
•For comments, send SMS to 08057634061

•Hardball is not the opinion of
the columnist featured above
trate and the police displayed long-standing
bias against journalists. Yet the nature of their
work as public officers does not permit them
such biases. Their superiors, rather than defending the objectionable behaviour of these
public officers, must work hard to reorient
them, or failing that read them the riot act.
They must be made to understand that there
is a level below which at all times they must
never descend. As a matter of fact, we expect
an official reaction from the police and the
Lagos State judiciary in the coming days.
The account of the journalists is fairly persuasive, and the harassments they received
real, but it is also possible they were partly
responsible for the misunderstanding at
Oshoniyi’s court. Unfortunately, because they
were victims of cruel treatment, it is pointless focusing on their shortcomings. Instead
we should see the misbehaviour of the magistrate and the police as offering us the opportunity to assess the capacity, emotional
stability, and sound judgement of those in
public office entrusted with great powers and
responsibility. In Oshoniyi’s court on
Wednesday, the magistrate and the police
comprehensively failed to rise up to the level
of responsibility required of the immense
powers at their disposal. Their failure is unacceptable to Nigeria and humiliating to the
public offices they purport to serve.